An Avenger's First (and Last) Hope
by ArcturusWolf
Summary: Consumed by darkness, Elesis seeks to exact justice in her own twisted way. When a suicide mission is mounted against the demons of Feita, a severely-wounded Elesis is saved by the power of the Dark Elshard and is cast into a destroyed world, where the very concept of justice is anathema. Will she find hope once again, or will the wasteland destroy her, as it has done to others?
1. 01 - In Her Darkest Hour

The dark halls of Feita's chapel had long been silent since the demons invaded the realm. But not on this day. The thunderous noise of battle rang out beneath its towering arches, broken pews trampled upon by a daring host of knights. Metal clashed against metal with ear-splitting screeches; fighting men shouted and roared as they cut down vast numbers of demons. And beneath that cacophony was the pitiful groaning and whimpering of fallen warriors, who bled and longed for the swift release of death.

"Feita knights! Hold your ground!" shouted a captain, his blade barely batting away three demonic spears in time. He could see their soulless yellow eyes glaring into his own, their bared dagger-like teeth seeming as though they were close enough to tear into his throat at any moment.

What he would not give for the company of those misfit adventurers. The ones that had wandered into every village between Ruben and this accursed place, destroying all of their opposition with ease. Most had left to protect the innocent citizens of Velder when they had heard of the demon invasion on the kingdom's capital. Demons who had called themselves the Glitter.

All except one.

A black-and-crimson blur flitted across his vision. Wherever it was, a trail of bloody demon corpses followed, in various states of dismemberment. And finally, it stopped in front of him, and the three demons before him fell to the ground, blood spurting from their backs.

That blur was the dark knight, Elesis, now half-crouched with her claymore held loosely behind her back. He could not help but shiver a little when her wrathful glare fell upon him. Her bloodstained black-and-red armor did little to reassure him that she was _really_ on his side – and neither did the pulsating purple crystal in her other hand.

"Captain. I have the dark El crystal. The enemy necromancer is dead, and there is no reason for you to be here any longer. Instruct your men to retreat," she spoke, her voice dripping with barely-concealed fury. Another spear-wielding demon rushed towards her, only to be run through by her claymore, "Now, if you please,"

"If we retreat, the demons will run us down before we even make it back to the entrance hall!" he retorted. Even now, his men were being constantly pushed back by the endless tide of black. Only half of those that came with him remained standing, locked in close combat against an enemy many times their number.

"You will not have them at your back. I will make sure of that," Elesis said grimly, her fingers tightening around the large purple crystal in her hand, "Go now. I will not debate this matter further,"

"U...Understood. It has been an honour, ma'am,"

No reply reached his ears as she wrapped her ragged crimson cloak about her face like a scarf. Instead, she shouted a challenge to the demons, stamping her feet as loudly as she could.

"Come, then, demons! You think yourselves superior to humans. Why waste your efforts on the unworthy?" Elesis screamed. Several nearby demons turned from their human opponents to face her, the opportunity not wasted by the fleeing knights, "You wanted this crystal? You lost it because you were weak, because you were unworthy. Come then, see if you can claim it from myself!"

That did the trick. Within moments, the tide of creatures had shifted away from the grey-cloaked warriors. They did not chase those that fled, and instead surrounded the lone swordswoman, seemingly intent only on answering her challenge. Circling her, waiting for the perfect moment to strike down their prey.

"Well then, brother," whispered Elesis to herself, a small smile on her lips as she watched the last of the knights retreat through the door of the chapel, "Let us see how far your convictions take you. You cannot protect everyone, not merely by strength of arms,"

Two demons fell with a single stroke of her claymore. Another was torn from shoulder to hip as she spun around, striking off the heads of several spears with the same stroke. The blade, now slick with black blood, never rested for a moment; heads and limbs flew from demons left and right.

And yet the tide still came. For every one that fell, two more took its place. Still more of those reptilian demons clambered over the others, perched on a solid mass of their brethren and aiming their arrows at her. Noticing the archers, she barely managed to block the hail of arrows with her arm, hissing as several pierced through her armoured undersuit.

It seemed almost as though she had fought for an eternity. Her hair was matted, and her body was drenched in sweat and blood from head to toe; some of it hers, some of it from her enemy's. Her limbs felt as though they were made of lead as she swung the claymore unsteadily, staggering as she attempted to recover from the missed swing.

"I...hate...you...all!" growled Elesis, clumsily parrying a blow from a hammer-wielding demon. The shock of the blow staggered her, allowing two others to thrust their spears into her less-armoured stomach.

Hate. Anger. They were powerful tools. Capable of forcing her body into doing feats that she had once thought impossible. But now, as she clutched onto the dark El crystal, it seemed that though her dark emotions fed her powers...there were always limits to them.

Limits.

Limits were meant to be broken. Rules shattered. That was why she became a dark knight. Gritting her teeth, she slashed viciously upward, severing both arms on the demonic spearmen and shattering the spears' hafts.

It was then that she thought she heard a voice speak. Half amused, and half mocking. "Your desire for power. It is admirable. But desire without purpose? That is weakness. You seek to acquire it without knowing what to do, foolish child,"

"I...I know what I want. You cannot tell me otherwise," she spat, leaning unsteadily on her claymore. Whatever – or whoever – was speaking to her would regret it when she was finished.

"Oh, but I can. And you cannot do anything about it. I feel it, you see. The darkness that grows within you. It is powerful, but it is chained. Set me free, and you shall see,"

"Who are you? Show yourself!"

She didn't know if she was becoming delirious from loss of blood. There, in front of her, stood an image of herself, clutching the dark El shard. A malicious grin was plastered on her face, from ear to ear, an enormous curved blade resting easily on her shoulder.

"You see, I am you, and you are myself. I and you are one, and the same. You seek power, and yet you fear it,"

"..."

"The key to unlock it lies before you, and yet you are too weak to accept it for what it is. A coward, and a craven! Is that all you are?"

"I...am not...a COWARD!" roared Elesis, lunging forward to seize the dark crystal. The apparition vanished, laughing manically as it faded into mist.

Yet her fingers found themselves wrapped around the smooth surface of a crystal.

The dark El shard. It was releasing bolts of energy, incinerating the nearest demons with reddish-black streaks of light. They backed away fearfully; the maelstrom of energy grew larger and larger, devouring all in its path. Yet the bolts did not harm her, instead filling her with energy to stand straighter despite all her wounds.

"Eh...heh...heh..." she laughed softly. Why did she fear these foolish creatures before her? She should have slain them all! "Ha...ha...ha...!"

The speartips embedded in her stomach were no longer a concern. The dripping of crimson from their broken hafts were simply annoyances to be dealt with later. What mattered was slaughter for the sake of it.

"Power...unlimited power!" cackled the delirious dark knight. Power coursed through her veins from the dark shard in her left hand. A shadowy blade extended from the hilt of her claymore, effortlessly cleaving through stone and metal as it surged outwards.

The fear on the demons' faces was amusing. She needed to have more of it. Much more of it. What was life without amusement?

Each swing of her extended blade sundered metal and flesh, spraying her with black blood. "Come to me...pathetic creatures...come, come and meet your end!"

Death came swiftly for those nearest, while those further away scampered off to the nearest exit that they could find, leaving their weapons behind. Still some remained behind, valiantly loosing arrow after arrow into the red-and-black knight from behind chunks of fallen ceiling.

She didn't care about the little stings that peppered her body. The crystal shard made sure of that, numbing her nerves with every pulse of its dark energy. Only the destruction of her enemy mattered to Elesis. Lowering her shoulder, she charged forward to the last remaining group of demons. A dark wave surrounded her body, sending a tremendous explosion outwards as she collided with their makeshift barricade.

"Mwa...ha...ha..." she laughed weakly, coughing blood. The last of the demons had been vanquished by her, and what was left of Feita's knights had successfully escaped. Her mission was complete.

The energy from the dark shard in her hand ebbed away. All the pain that came with her grievous wounds returned with all the force of an avalanche; yet so weakened she was, she could only whimper in agony. Collapsing to the ground, she forced herself to fall backwards, so as to not be impaled by the shattered spears and numerous arrows still embedded in her.

"My fingers are...so cold. Was the sky always this...red?" she thought to herself, still weakly clutching the warm and wet crystal in her left hand. She swore that she could still hear the laughter of that damnable woman in her head. Perhaps if she could sleep, she would not hear it any more. Yes, sleeping seemed to be a good idea. Especially if the crystal was providing her with warmth.

…

…

…

Hot. It was hot. Far too hot. And far too dark.

Elesis whimpered weakly as she awoke once more. There was something hard and heavy blocking her sight.

"Codsworth. Codsworth! I think I found...something. Or someone,"

"Why, yes, mum. I can definitely there's someone here. A young lady, it seems,"

"She's still alive. I think,"

A pair of gentle hands found their way to her neck, feeling her pulse. Still too weak to respond, Elesis could only shift slightly, opening her mouth to ease her breathing.

"Yes, she's still alive. Her pulse is weak, but she's still breathing. Get me a needle of Med-X from our baggage, and three doses of stimpaks. Quickly, now,"

"Certainly, mum,"

A nasod voice? It was far too mechanical to be a human's.

"You'll be alright. I promise," the soothing female voice spoke into her ear. She could feel soft, slender fingers gently caressing her cheek.

"Here you are, mum,"

A few moments later, Elesis felt a pair of metal claws grip her left arm. What were these people doing to her? Though she wished to move, her body refused to do so. A sharp needle pierced the skin on her wrist, followed by a strange numbing sensation which spread very, very quickly through her body.

"Good. That should make it much less painful. And...there. That should keep her stable until I can operate on her properly at Sanctuary. Move that rock over her head, Codsworth, and carry her back to Sanctuary,"

The last that the dark knight remembered before slipping into unconsciousness was the sight of a sickly green sky – and the silhouette of a woman's face looming over hers. Where was she? And who was this woman?

* * *

A/N

Heh. Insane Elesis is the best Elesis. Her characterisation in Elsword as a Crimson Avenger / Dark Knight strikes me as...amusing. It's so different to the other characters' rather light and cheery backgrounds that it's interesting to write about in a darker fashion than ordinary Elsword fanfics. If it was in a Star Wars universe, I could totally see her becoming a Sith Apprentice or a Sith Master, given how sadistic she becomes!

Updates will be irregular. Though I enjoy writing, work doesn't always make it possible to set a routine update time. Stay tuned for more insanity in the messed-up world of Fallout!


	2. 02 - Sanctuary

"Vitals stable. All signals green,"

"How are our blood supplies? Med-X?"

"We seem to have plenty of blood packs, mum. Med-X is running a little low, though,"

A brief pause, and then a soft sigh from that female voice. Elesis could not help but wonder where she was. Her eyelids were heavy, and the bed (was it a bed?) that she was lying on was soft and comfortable. She could not feel her arms nor legs, but why should she be worried? The comfort that enveloped her mind and body was sublime. Such divine comfort, clouding her thoughts to nothingness.

"Preston. Please let Sturges know that we need more distilled alcohol. Take the whiskey and vodka from our salvage stocks if he requires raw materials,"

"Already on it, General- I mean, Katherine," a deep male voice spoke, followed by the soft tapping of boots on tiles.

General? Now she was confused. The generals of Velder nor Feita would never talk with the common soldiery, much less be in the same room as them.

"Disinfectant spray, and the scalpel. Actually, I will need the purified water too. Thank you, Codsworth,"

Codsworth. That was a name that she vaguely remembered, when she first awoke under the burning hot sun. If she was not mistaken, that must have been the Nasod helper that followed the other woman. Why would a Nasod be helping a human? Why were they even here?

A faint tearing noise came from below her, along with a disgusted sniff from the woman. More scraping noises followed, along with the sound of something soft and wet being thrown into a metal dish with an audible splat. Her head felt as though it was spinning, though her body was most certainly held in a bed. The beeping noise was also speeding up. What was going on?

"Blood pack, O-type. Pump one pint, she's losing quite a bit of blood. Add stimpak contents into the IV drip, two doses. Examining wounds; keep an eye on the vitals,"

Something clicked above her, and her eyes were bathed in some intense light. So bright it was, that even what cloth they had bound over her eyes did little to block it; mercifully, the light soon moved down, below where she could see it. A faint throbbing sensation came from where her stomach must be. It was odd, and most certainly uncomfortable. Her head, however, felt a little clearer after a while. A pint of blood? And what's an eye-vee-drip? What were they talking about?

"Some bleeding in peritoneal cavity. Severe lacerations on intestinal tract, likely caused by those...spearheads. Primary blood vessels seem undamaged. Left hand false ribs, two fractures on anterior aspect. Thankfully no damage to the lungs. We need to disinfect and cauterise these open wounds. Codsworth, three pints of purified water and a capful of disinfectant, please. Extract the liquids after thirty seconds,"

Coldness engulfed her stomach, as though she had been hit by a magician's icy spear. Her mind had cleared a little more, and she could slightly open her eyes. There was some white cloth bound over her eyes, through which a little light could filter through. A woman's silhouette she could see; leaning over her body. The machine was pushing a strange tube into where her stomach was; and as it produced a strange rushing noise, the coldness was gone.

"Suture and needle, please. Preston, you're back? I have ceramic dust and wonderglue on my desk. Please mix some, nine parts ceramic to one part glue, and bring it back to me," the woman said, without the least hint of emotion.

"Alright. I'll get right on it,"

"Thank you. Codsworth, the cautery, please,"

The burning pain of whatever was happening to her body struck Elesis' mind with all the force of a giant's punch. Though she wanted nothing more than to scream out loud, she could not muster the strength to even shift a finger. That persistent beeping from beside her grew ever quicker in pace, however, and its noise caused the woman in front of her to freeze.

"Increase in heart rate. Response to pain stimuli? Mon dieu! She's awake! And for how long exactly!?" she gasped, nearly dropping the hot iron brand in her hand, "Codsworth! One dose of Med-X, immediately!"

"I would do it, mum, but there's...only a third of a dose left,"

She sighed in disappointment, as though her Nasod companion had done something worthy of disapproval. "Very well. One third it has to be, then. Find some more from our stocks once this is over. I am certain that was not all that we have. Preston, have you prepared the paste?"

"Here it is, General,"

"Thank you. Now, let's get these ribs patched up, and we can close these wounds..."

That very same numbing comfort overcame Elesis' mind once more. Only the faint clicking noise of some metal instrument on her bones she could hear; and even that was replaced by silence after a while. That woman's fingers still dipped up and down above her stomach, the needle and thread held between them dancing in and out of her skin with clockwork precision.

"Scissors. We're almost done here. Codsworth, how are her vitals?"

"Stable, mum. Her heart rate seems to be slowing down again,"

"Excellent. Well done, everyone. I could not have done this without all your help. Go and have a meal, and rest. You have all earned it," the woman announced, a little cheer in her exhausted voice, "I shall watch over our guest here for now. Let the Minutemen know that I will not be joining them on night patrol,"

Night patrol? Minutemen? Unfamiliar terms they were to Elesis. Watchmen and knights were the keepers of order in Elrios, not...whoever these people are. Her thoughts were broken as slender fingers caressed her cheek, and that soothing voice once again reached her ears.

"Your wounds were severe, but the operation was a success. You will be fine in time. For now, however, I believe that you should get some rest,"

* * *

If only Preston had told her that a woman magically appeared near Sanctuary, half-crushed by a gigantic marble statue of some ancient goddess, Katherine would have dismissed his tale as pure fantasy. It had been such a strange tale that even she raised an eyebrow. Part of her considered the option of perhaps diagnosing him for mental illness, and another thought that perhaps he had dipped into Mama Murphy's stock of jet while she was not looking.

The settlers, however, all told of the same tale, and that was enough to convince her that perhaps there _was_ some truth to the tale. After all, one man's delusion could be brushed off, but the very same tale spoken by many must have a grain of truth, no matter how small. And so Katherine, newly-christened General of the Minutemen, rounded up a few settlers to come with her to investigate the site of the incident. How strange it was that a General had only a single man under her lead – and far more volunteers than actual militiamen!

The tales that they had told were not lies, much to her amazement. The gigantic marble statue was visible from the centre of the settlement, planted squarely in the centre of the river that ran through the side of the small township. Even more amazed was she when there truly was a woman trapped beneath a fallen stone arm. Still alive and breathing, at that!

And this woman – whoever she was – was now slumbering soundly inside Katherine's makeshift clinic, recovering from the horrific wounds that covered her entire body. Stimpaks could only cure so much, and it was a near miracle that none of her vital organs had been damaged. Ten arrowheads and three spearheads now sat in the rusty metal bucket beside the bed, a reminder of just how close she had been to death.

The moonlight that illuminated the clinic now shone on her guest. Her long, flaming-red locks were unkempt and matted by dried blood. Her skin was still deathly pale, perhaps due to blood loss or the frigid cold of the Wasteland night.

"Or perhaps both," Katherine muttered, thinking aloud. She pulled the blankets further up the woman's body, to cover her shoulders, "Hrm. Perhaps...I should write her notes. After all, it would not do for a doctor to be uninformed of her own charge's condition,"

Humming softly, she began to type quickly into her pip-boy. "Female, presumed Caucasian. Above average height; much heavier than she appears to be. Physically fit and strong. Unknown name, will have to ask when she awakes in the morning. Found trapped under rubble, successfully extracted. Emergency first aid provided prior to proper treatment. Armour heavily damaged, requesting repair by Sturges. Severe internal and external injuries; recommend one stimpak every three hours, with some Med-X if pain grows too severe. In absence of Med-X, can substitute high-purity alcohol, but only for emergencies,"

Looking over her clipboard, she could see the slow rise and fall of the woman's chest. At least her breathing was more or less even – and under the influence of rather generous doses of Med-X, painless.

"...Patient is in stable condition, but prior injuries may yet cause complications. Recommend supervision for the first week of recovery. Bed rest mandatory,"

Katherine placed the clipboard at the foot of the bed. Checking the time on her pip-boy, she blanched. It was almost midnight, and yet the can of brahmin stew that Codsworth had prepared sat uneaten on her desk. Sighing, she put a hand to her growling stomach.

"A late meal is better than never, I suppose," Katherine muttered, picking up the can and looking into its lumpy, congealing contents with barely veiled distaste. The foods of the wasteland were ill-suited for someone who had recently awoken from cryosleep. The vegetables, the meat – they were all so _wrong_. Brahmin meat was tough and stringy when raw, and only slightly less tough and stringy when boiled. Tatos were hardly better, being a strange crossbreed of potatoes and tomatoes, resulting in an odd vegetable that was simultaneously squishy and crumbly. Neither of which was an appetising option, for someone that had lived before the world burned in nuclear fire.

"Disgusting. I wish it were possible to get some proper food," sniffed the woman. Pinching her nose she attempted to swallow a piece of rubbery brahmin, only managing to barely down the jelly-like meat. It did not take long for her to decide on giving what was left of the stew to Dogmeat, who happily devoured every last morsel from the can. Ever eager for more food, the dog barked and began to lick the woman's hands in an attempt to see if she would give him some more.

"Alright, boy, you have had enough food. Go and sleep outside, now," she giggled, wiping her hands on a rag, "Speaking of sleeping, I should probably do so myself. Though...well, since my bed is taken, I suppose I have nowhere to sleep but right here,"

Taking a second ragged quilt from the stack on her desk, she wrapped herself tightly and settled into the chair. There was much to be done on the following days, and she could ill afford to be caught half-asleep on her duties.

* * *

The sun burned brightly on Elesis' eyes. Muttering angrily, she tried to turn to face away from the heat and light; only to be met by blinding, agonising pain wracking her entire body. A quiet whimper escaped her lips as she curled on herself, trying futilely to shield herself from further pain.

"Mon dieu. You're awake already?" groaned a familiar voice to her right, "I had thought Med-X would have kept you asleep for another two hours, or perhaps another three or four. Please hold still, you will only injure yourself further if you continue to move,"

Gentle hands pushed Elesis back into the bed, easing her into a pile of soft pillows. Frowning slightly, she tried to sit up again – only to be forced back by a combination of pain, and a little more force.

"Now, now. I did not tend to your wounds last night for you to injure yourself again so soon," the voice spoke again, a hint of disapproval colouring her slight accent. Defeatedly, Elesis allowed herself to be settled back into the bed.

"Fine," she muttered, turning her head to face away from the intense light outside, "I guess I can't move anyway, so..."

She turned to face the healer. Needless to say, Elesis was rather surprised, for unlike Feita's nor Velder's healers, the woman to her right did not wear their customary blue-and-white robes of those sworn to healing magic. Instead, the woman wore a form-fitting blue suit of some strange cloth, over which she wore a dirty white apron, splashes of dried blood all over its front. And neither was the woman masked nor cloaked; her golden hair hung loosely to her shoulders. Sitting in a plush cushioned chair, one slender leg over the other, she exuded an air of effortless elegance more befitting a stately diplomat than a mere healer.

"Hm. Is there something on my face?" queried Elesis, who raised eyebrow. The healer was staring into her eyes, head cocked to one side; and when Elesis asked her the question, she nearly fell backwards off her chair.

"I-It's just that...well, for a lack of better words, your eye colour is...unusual. I have never seen such a vivid...scarlet," she stammered, a blush taking its place on her fair cheeks, "Ahem. My apologies! I should not be commenting on such things. Where are my manners? I am called Katherine Delacroix. And you are...?"

"Elesis. Elesis, of House Sieghart,"

"House...Sieghart? I cannot say that I am aware of any place in the Wasteland that still uses those ancient noble titles. I suppose it is entirely possible that there would be some place out there that has reused some ideas from ancient times,"

A frown crossed Elesis' face. The kingdom of Feita was torn by war and dark magic, and Velder was invaded by demons; however, to describe these places as a _wasteland_ seems to be more than a little over the top. After all, when people are still around, it was always possible to rebuild, no matter how damaged the land and its cities. That being said, the sky _did_ look a bit strange. As though the world was ever-so-faintly tinged with sickly green and yellow, and every last branch of the tree she could see from the room's window was barren. Surely no amount of dark magic could strip a world of all life?

"Wasteland? What wasteland?" she blurted out. Immediately, she regretted speaking louder, as her ribs felt as though they were about to shatter into a hundred tiny pieces. The healer – Katherine – however, immediately grasped her shoulder as the knight yelped in agony.

"Stay still. Try to not speak so loudly, if you can," Katherine whispered soothingly, "It seems that I am not the only one here that is out of her place – or out of her time. You have many questions, I do not doubt that; but perhaps this is not the best time nor place to discuss them. Simply understand, for now, that you are safe; and that this place is known as Sanctuary Hills for a good reason,"

* * *

A/N

That brings the second chapter to a close. Elesis is now most definitely in a strange, foreign world, of which she knows very little. Likewise, the F!SS doesn't even begin to comprehend that Elesis is from an entirely different world. After all, given what Vault-Tec has done, who's to say that Elesis did not arrive from some other weird Vault experiment that displaced one space to another?

Personally, I have a love-hate relationship with the way Fallout 4 has been done. I like the way in which the dialogue is now voiced, but at the same time I don't. Dialogue choices in FO3/FO:NV were much clearer as to the tone in which the character speaks, while in FO4 it's very difficult to tell whether that Sarcastic option is just going to be the harmless kind of snarky or something that really offends the other person on the receiving end. Not to mention that the dialogue is always written for a goody-goody character; every time you talk to someone while playing a raider scumbag of a Sole Survivor, it's a rather jarring transition back to the character of a desperate mother/father trying to find their long lost son.

So here I've completely booted out the pre-written history of the F!SS. She's not a law graduate/lawyer, but is a medical doctor. And that obviously comes with its own set of ethical/moral codes, which are -probably- not even relevant any more in the wasteland. Or are they?! To do harm, or to do no harm, that is the question!

Next up: the answer to said moral question!


	3. 03 - Out of Place

The next few days passed uneventfully for both Elesis and Katherine. While Elesis slept and rested as she recovered from her wounds, the Minutemen's General continued to work, tending to the injuries of those men that she had sent out on patrols whenever they would return. It struck Elesis as being extremely odd that a 'general' was a healer. Doubly so when the very same 'general' seemed to wield no weapons at all. Not even a simple dagger or a short sword, as every Velder-raised militiaman was trained to use, nor the strange muskets that her militiamen seemed to use.

Footsteps echoed on the concrete outside the room. Reflexively, the dark knight's hands reached for her claymore, but sighed as she remembered that her blade was most definitely out of her reach. That, and she was definitely in a safe place, given the number of patrolling militiamen about.

"General—I mean, Katherine?"

"...She's asleep," Elesis spoke, looking to the doorway from her bed. The Minutemen's general – Katherine – was fast asleep in a tattered bedroll, snoring softly. "Preston, if I remember correctly. Is there something that she needs to know?"

"Well, it's not urgent. We've received word that a settlement needs some help, and it would be good if she could check it out,"

"I'll let her know once she wakes up,"

"Thank you. We'd prefer to not have the General go out and do these missions, but we're short-handed as it is. How do you feel, by the way? You looked pretty roughed up a few days back,"

"I...feel alright, I suppose. General Katherine's treatment of my wounds has been most effective. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering. You look like you've been in your share of fights. You're not a Minuteman, but you probably know the General isn't one for fighting. No offense, Gen- Katherine,"

"None taken, Preston," yawned Katherine, a hand over her mouth, "It would be appreciated if you could keep your voices down. Mon dieu, my head,"

She checked the device that seemed to be always strapped to her forearm. After flicking through a few dials, a cup of steaming coffee appeared in her lap, on top of a newly-created leather jacket.

"So, is something the matter, Preston?" she asked, sipping her coffee and pulling a face, shuddering. Clearly the drink did not taste at all appealing, "I trust that something important has come to your attention. Otherwise, you would not have come to find me at...thirty minutes past three in the morning, non?"

"Uh, yes, ma'am. A settlement has asked for our assistance, and we don't have any patrols to spare," Preston said, "It's Abernathy Farm. They didn't say anything more. If you have time, it would be good to check it out,"

"Very well, then. It would be most appreciated if you could offer a few of your men to accompany me," she said, gulping down the rest of her drink.

"I would if I could, Katherine, but like I said before, they're all out on patrol. Now, I'd probably get back to my guardpost. Safe travels, friend,"

As soon as Preston exited the building, Katherine let out a deep sigh. "It seems that I will never have enough men to protect every settlement under our protection. But in this wasteland, if the Minutemen do not answer, then who will protect them?"

"I don't know, but...while I was bound to the service of the King of Velder, there were always many squads of soldiers and knights to punish every last brigand. I always had at least a full company of men at my command," replied Elesis. The night was swelteringly warm, and she found herself sweating profusely. Even worse was the stifling heat was the ever-persistent smell of that strange spray that the healer would use every time she needed to operate on someone. She needed an excuse to get out of the room; any excuse would do. Before she knew it, she blurted out, "Could I come along?"

"Excuse me?" the blonde asked, raising an eyebrow. Her forehead was furrowed in thought as she looked Elesis up and down. After a few brief moments, she sighed in defeat, shoulders slumped. "I will admit, you do look much healthier tonight than a few nights ago. But would you care to...enlighten me...about why you would even choose to leave the safety of Sanctuary? When you are not fully healed yet, no less?"

"You said you didn't have enough men," Elesis said, shrugging her shoulders. Inside, she hoped that this healer would understand her intentions, "Just a suggestion,"

"That much is true. Yes, the Minutemen cannot spare men to come with me," Katherine murmured, fixing a glare on the dark knight, "But I will not simply waive my duties as a doctor. Until you are fully healed, I could not permit you to go without supervision, let alone follow me where there may be danger. There is another reason you wish to be out and about, yes?"

Nodding, Elesis gave her a small smile. This healer – a doctor, she calls herself – was more perceptive than the common soldiery that served in the city watch.

"I suppose this clinic could have a little more air. It is a little warm, after all. Very well then. I will examine you to see if you are well enough to travel. Lift up your shirt, s'il vous plait,"

Slender fingers poked at the knight's ribs as she complied, earning a flinch and a slight hiss of pain from her. When Katherine frowned at her disapprovingly, Elesis quickly stiffened up.

"Do not try to hide your pain from me," Katherine muttered. A harder prod to the knight's lowest rib immediately caused her to flinch, "Especially when your attempts are so obvious. Well, at least the bones are set. How does your stomach feel?"

"Feels...alright. Ouch!"

The doctor had run a finger along the red scar along the length of Elesis' midriff. Evidently, despite all the strange medicines in those needles, it had not completely healed. Katherine flashed her a brief apologetic smile. One of these days, the knight thought to herself, she would get back at the doctor in her own way.

"There we go. At least you are not holding it back any more," she chuckled. A loud growl sounded from Elesis' stomach; her cheeks burned a brilliant crimson, "Oh dear. I do apologise for the lack of food. We have had a few...issues...with our supply lines as of late. If you would like, you may have the rest of the broth in my brahmin stew,"

"No solid food yet?" whined Elesis, her embarrassment temporarily forgotten. The chance of eating something more filling than thin, tasteless broth or lumpy gruel was simply too good for her. What she would not give for a well-cooked steak! Yet she was disappointed when the blonde shook her head.

"No. I do not know how much of your...surgery...you were awake for. Or if you were alert enough to remember any of it. Not for another week, at least, and that's with stimpaks every four hours to help with regeneration. Your...insides, for a lack of better words, received quite severe wounds from those spearheads,"

"How much harm could some solid food do? I mean, they're not made of _metal_ or anything,"

"Far too much. Unless you wish for me to look at your insides again in two days' time, you will not eat anything more solid than pureed tatos," Katherine spoke with an air of finality, "And if I must speak the truth, I am still uncertain with how much Med-X I should use on you to properly ensure that you would remain unconscious through the entire procedure,"

The thought of Katherine probing through her insides caused Elesis to blanch. No matter how much her body had been numbed through the procedure, being partially awake was greatly disturbing, to say the least. To see those hands move...with those sharp, sharp implements, without being able to react...

"...I'm not hungry any more," she mumbled, retching a little when those particularly vivid memories came to mind. _That_ was not something she was particularly fond of remembering.

Katherine patted the knight's back gently, earning a cough and a weak glare from her. "I am sorry. I probably should not have mentioned it like that. Now, I think you are well enough to be at least up and about. Just for safety, one additional dose of stimpak. Your left arm, please,"

Shuddering, Elesis held out her left arm. The doctor fished out a needle nestled in her white coat's pocket. Giving it a quick flick, she carefully inserted it into the crook of the redhead's arm, pressing out its contents into her bloodstream. The effect was profound; immediately, Elesis felt as though a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and she could finally move about again.

"Now that should help keep you together for a few hours. Not that I expect any fighting between here and a settlement barely a kilometre from here, of course. Oh, and I almost forgot. Sturges has finished repairing your...outfit. It is...unique..."

The blonde's cheeks glowed a bright pink, and she turned away. Elesis could not blame her; the armourer in Velder _did_ remove quite a few pieces of her armoured skirt, to allow the knight to move more freely, as she requested. If it were not for the fact that most of her battles were fought under the cover of night, she, too, would despise being seen in such a revealing suit of leather armour.

"Ahem. We...probably should go," Katherine said, her fingers furiously flying over the device on her wrist. As if by magic, Elesis' armour appeared in a neat pile on her bed, along with the tattered blood-red cloak that she had worn with her old suit of armour, "Please wear it. I had some...additional pieces added. For modesty's sake, of course,"

"...Thank you, I guess?" Elesis replied uncertainly, a door swinging shut as the blonde bolted out of the room in a hurry. Shrugging, she quickly slipped out of her ill-fitting shirt into her well-fitted suit of armour. True to what the doctor had said, there _was_ an additional piece or two – or rather, _one_ large piece. She'd been given some form of form-fitting one-piece suit, made of some tough yet elastic cloth, over which fitted the original leathers and metal plates of her armour. Several pieces of black metal plating had been attached to its left leg. A curious loop of leather, too small for even a shortsword, was attached to its right.

"What's this...?" she said, pulling on the leather loop gently.

"Are you finished yet? I would prefer to leave soon, if that is possible," spoke Katherine from outside the room. Elesis tightened the last strap on her armour and rolled her shoulders. The armour fitted as well as she remembered, even with the addition of that oddly stretchy one-piece undersuit.

"Yes, I'm ready," replied the dark knight, throwing open the door. The doctor now had a long white coat over the blue-and-yellow suit she always seemed to wear, and she was chewing on what seemed to be a dark brown piece of meat with barely veiled disgust. After what seemed an eternity of chewing on leathery flesh, she swallowed it and immediately downed a half a bottle of water.

"Excellent. Here, I have not forgotten that you were hungry. Have the rest of the stew; there is nothing in it that will make you ill," Katherine gasped, pushing the can of mostly-eaten stew into Elesis' hands, "Sacre bleu. Please excuse my manners. I have yet to be accustomed to the local...cuisine. The meat is tougher than rubber, but at least Codsworth has learned to add enough salt now,"

Giving the contents of the can a sniff, Elesis raised an eyebrow. It smelled slightly burned, though otherwise not too terrible. And as she gave the goo-like contents a slow stir with the spoon inside the can, a few minute chunks of some half-liquefied reddish vegetable floated to the surface.

It could not be worse than hardtack and gruel, she thought, picking up the spoon and eating a spoonful of the stew. Salty, but otherwise bland. This she could live with, and soon she wolfed down the rest of the can's contents, much to the blonde's surprise.

"Well, it seems that at least one of us enjoys Codsworth's cooking," said Katherine, collecting the empty can and setting it down on a nearby table, "If you are finished eating, then let us proceed,"

The device on the blonde's wrist projected a bright green light, not unlike that which Eve usually gets one of her drones to project at night. Following her lead, Elesis stepped outside, wondering what Sanctuary looked like at night.

"What in the name of the El Lady..." she whispered.

The world seemed as though it had been scorched to a crisp. The trees were barren, every last leaf scorched away. What little grass poked through from the cracked, hard earth was brown and withered. Every building seemed to have been struck by some tremendous force; many had collapsed, and those that were still standing were crumbling to nothingness.

"Yes, it is much to take in, is it not?" Katherine replied, a hint of bitterness in her voice. She flashed Elesis a small smile, before continuing on down the road. A newer building, crafted of a crude patchwork of wood and cloth, stood on one side, while a smoke-belching machine hummed loudly outside, a light glowing on top of it.

"This is the settlers' dormitory. I would have liked to have each family in their own home, but that is not possible with the resources we currently have. And on the other side of this road-" she pointed to a metal building, shaped rather like a half-pipe, "-is our armoury. We will need to find you a weapon to use,"

"I...I have my sword," replied Elesis, "If you have my armour, then my sword is...?"

"I am afraid that Sturges has not finished repairing it. If I may say so, it is a...unique design. Curved, and rather elegant for its size. But let us see what is in stock. Bonsoir, Mr. Long," Katherine spoke to a nervous-looking man outside the armoury. His eyes seemed as though they were drooping closed, though they flew open once he saw the doctor in front of him.

"G-Good evening, Doc- General Delacroix," he stuttered, snapping off a sloppy salute. Elesis frowned at the display. Just how undisciplined were her men? "A-Are you looking for something?"

"Yes, Mr. Long. I requested the repair of our guest's weapon, but Sturges has told me that he has not yet finished doing so. I would like a...ahem. Perhaps it would be better to allow our guest to choose something that suits her,"

Katherine nodded to Elesis, who stepped into the rather dark room. Inside was a rather well-stocked armoury of crude-looking weapons, lit only by a single flickering light. Many resembled rusted Nasod guns, constructed of rusting pipes and held together seemingly by only bent screws and crude bands of cloth. Not that she knew how to operate a gun, as that was a method of fighting usually given to the ordinary foot soldiers, and not the Red Knights.

But at the back of the room, she found a stock of what appeared to be melee weapons. Some were well-polished, tapered sticks with felt handles on their wider ends, a wide-bladed kitchen knife bound to its narrow end; resembling some form of crude spear. Others appeared to be simple sledgehammers, their shafts reinforced by strips of metal. On one wall, several short, serrated daggers hung from pegs on a board. The other wall held a number of longer single-edged blades, with traces of rust and dried blood on them.

"This will do," sighed Elesis, taking one of the longer blades from the wall and giving it an experimental swing. It was poorly balanced, but it was otherwise sharp.

"Right. I-I'll let Preston know about it. General Delacroix, are you sure you don't want anything? You know, just in case?"

"I will be fine. Thank you for your concern, however," the blonde replied, carefully averting her eyes from the armoury, "Come, Elesis. Put that machete away, if you please. We are in company of friends here,"

The small township soon vanished into darkness behind the pair as they ventured further up the road. The total silence that enveloped the world was almost surreal; it was as though every living creature had been wiped from existence. Only faint starlight and the light from the doctor's device illuminated the cracked and crumbling road ahead.

 _This must have been once filled with many people,_ Elesis thought to herself, as they crested a hill and into view of a sprawling town of numerous tall wooden houses buildings. Yet she could not help but wonder where did every last person disappear to. It was unsettling; every house seemed to be either collapsed or boarded up – or empty, its owners long dead and gone.

Or in the case of a particular shop, plundered by bandits. Several tattooed corpses, with numerous bullet wounds, littered the ground in front of the ruined building. Another man and a woman lay dead beside a rotting, two-headed cow, an empty wooden rack on top of the beast's back the only sign of what goods it had carried before its death.

"Mon dieu. Even here, the raiders are still around," coughed Katherine. As if seeking reassurance, she edged ever closer to Elesis, almost clinging onto the knight's arm.

 _A general that's cowardly? Now I've seen everything_ , Elesis thought. The knight was no stranger to seeing (or delivering) death, but to see the manner in which the corpses were desecrated brought more than a little bit of anger to her mind. The corpse of the man had its head removed and nailed down between the heads of the rotting two-headed cow, while the woman's clothes had been reduced to tatters and scattered across the breadth of the street. The back of her knees had been slashed, and it was obvious what had happened to her before her untimely demise.

"Come on, let's keep moving," growled Elesis, awkwardly inching her way forward with the doctor clinging on to her arm as though her life depended on it. For someone that was completely unfazed about slicing open a living person to heal them, Katherine was oddly mortified by even being _near_ a corpse.

After what seemed to be an eternity with her clinging to her arm, Elesis huffed and shook her arm free. "You know, you used that little knife on me, cut me open, and you didn't seem to care. You put me back together again, after you'd cut me open. So why does seeing a dead body bother you so much? They don't even bleed, and they're not alive to even do anything back to you,"

"I..." the doctor stammered. Her fists were clenched, and Elesis was certain her face was red, "I...never mind. I am sorry. Perhaps I should speak of it another time. It is a...personal reason. Let us keep moving,"

"As you wish," Elesis said, shrugging.

The trail to the farm was very poorly lit, and the pair of them stumbled over countless rocks and branches in the dark as they made their way. If it were not for the searchlight installed on the roof of the farmhouse, it would have been nearly impossible to find it in the darkness.

"Hold it right there, strangers. We don't want any trouble," called out a voice from the farmhouse, along with an audible click. Squinting, Elesis could barely make out the outline of a gun on a nearby window. She reached for the blade at her her side, but Katherine reached out and pushed her arm down, shaking her head.

Relaxing your guard could mean a swift death, Elesis thought. The only thing that keeps any warrior alive is

"We do not mean any harm, monsieur. The Minutemen have received a request for assistance, and I have come to see what the problem is,"

"Oh, you're with the Minutemen? I didn't think they'd answer. Heard from one of the patrols that you guys don't have enough manpower at this time. Still, come in, come in. No use keeping you in the dark,"

The outline of the gun vanished into the farmhouse. A few lights then clicked on inside, revealing that a man and a woman were inside, their guns propped against their shoulders, while a younger woman stood up from her hiding place under the kitchen table. Slowly, Elesis and Katherine made their way to the farmhouse, where the man – the farmhouse's owner, Elesis supposed – came to greet them, one of the women following closely behind. Both, she noticed, still had their guns, though now held loosely at their sides.

"Do you always greet strangers with weapons?" Elesis grumbled, earning her a sharp glare from the doctor.

"One can never be too careful in the Wasteland," replied the farm's owner, giving her an apologetic nod, "After all, it's what's kept us alive all these years,"

"Indeed. In any case, I believe it is probably best to introduce ourselves. I am Katherine Delacroix, of the Minutemen,"

"Ah, I've heard of you from the patrolman that passed by! Blake Abernathy, and this here is my farm. The roads were safer back when there were hundreds of your group, patrolling the roads and keeping us all safe. But my, you're a sight for sore eyes—"

That earned him a hard slap from the woman behind him, who stalked away, fuming. Nursing the red handprint on his cheek, he cleared his throat and continued, "—I meant the presence of some minutemen, of course. Not that...eh, maybe I should just stop here. So who is your companion here?"

Noting that Elesis merely kept a cold stare on the man without saying a single word, Katherine coughed and covered for the knight.

"She is Elesis Sieghart. A volunteer, so to speak, She is here as my escort tonight,"

"Escort? Hmm. If you say so,"

"In any case, I do not think that you have called for Minutemen assistance for idle chatter, non?" Katherine continued, smiling at the farmer, "So, let us get down to the business at hand. We shall be on our way as soon as we can,"

"A-Alright. Well, we have a bit of a raider problem. The bastards over at old Satellite Station Olivia stole a locket. One of our old family heirlooms, actually; a silver locket. My eldest daughter – Mary – thought that she could take on the whole raider gang and get our heirloom back,"

"How long has it been?"

"Two days. It's been two days since she left, and I'm getting worried. We'd left the message with that minuteman last night, but...well, since you're here, I guess there's not much more to explain. Please, you've got to find her. Connie would be devastated if we were to lose her,"

To Elesis' disgust, the man had _tears_ building up in the corner of his eyes. _Tears._ If he cared about his daughter so much, he should have gone after those bandits with her!

"Well, Mr. Abernathy. The Minutemen are here to help. We will find your daughter and bring her back," Katherine whispered, leaning over and wiping away some of the tears on the man's face, "I promise. Now, please remain calm. I do believe that your wife and...your daughter, if I presume correctly...would appreciate having some normalcy in their lives. Now, if that is all; bonsoir, monsieur. I shall return when I have your daughter, or more news of her,"

Flashing a gentle smile, she turned away from the man and began walking back towards Sanctuary. Elesis soon followed suit, looking over her shoulder at the farmer. He was still wiping his face with an arm, even as he walked back to his farmhouse.

"I was dearly hoping that he would not ask that of me," Katherine said sadly. There was a sad smile on her lips, "I do not wish to kill. Raiders, as uncivilised and uncouth as they are, are still humans. They live and breathe on the same food, and the same air as we do,"

Elesis shrugged. To her, there was little difference between a wolf and a bandit, a demon and a murderer. "If they were ready to kill and plunder, then they must be stopped. At any cost. Even if that means killing them, so that they may not harm an innocent,"

"Ah, but you think so?" Katherine said wistfully, "I knew of people, when this...wasteland...did not exist. They thought the very same as what you have just said. That they had the right to be the judge, jury and executioner of those who had wronged them. Do two wrongs make a right? Does taking a guilty man's life restore the life of the innocent that he had taken? Does destroying a possession of a burglar return that which belongs to its owner?"

"..."

"As it stands, Mademoiselle Sieghart, they do not. I do not believe that the act of killing would resolve any problems. The first cardinal rule of my profession – that of medicine – is that I will do no harm,"

And with that, Katherine continued walking back towards Sanctuary, leaving Elesis looking at the blonde as though she had grown another head.

* * *

A/N

Hope you guys enjoyed it! It's been very fun writing this :D

Thank you for the reviews, Yzrac. As for Elesis' costume; yes, it's the DK costume, complete with the katana-like claymore. I feel it's easier to work into a Fallout environment, because as you said, it DOES look like an infiltration catsuit. Here, I've reimagined it to be the leather underarmour of a knight's cuirass, stripped of some metal plates for flexibility.

Yeah, Elesis' hair colour would be an odd thing if hair dyes were not known. But given how there are raiders with pink or lime-green mohawks around in Fallout, it's rather difficult to say if someone's hair colour is natural. Without attempting to wash the dye out of hair (and therefore finding out it's not a dye), the SS may not figure out that Elesis' dark red hair is actually her natural hair colour. As for talking Nasod, I guess Eve would be the first one that she has met by that stage. Then again, Elesis canonically joins the El Search Gang in the later parts of Velder, and therefore cannot have met Eve by the time the CrA's class change quest comes about. It's always a bit weird when the class' background stories vary a lot from the canon main storyline. So for the purposes of this story, assume that the entire Elgang up to Elesis has come together after the events in Altera, and split up again so that the main gang is taking care of the demons in Velder while Elesis is helping the knights in a last stand in Feita.

Now that there are more themes possible; I do wonder what Eve would think of how Synths would be treated in the Fallout universe. They are, for all intents and purposes, the same as Nasods. Just a little bit more advanced in the case of Gen III synths, and less advanced in Gen II and Gen I synths.

-ArcturusWolf, signing out.


	4. 04 - First, Do No Harm

"What in the world is that thing?" asked Elesis incredulously. The return trip to Sanctuary had gone more smoothly than before, as the moon had decided to emerge from behind its thin shroud of clouds. Katherine had immediately marched into her house and into her bedroom, opening a dresser that smelled _very_ strongly of an unpleasant mixture of oil and disinfectant. Throwing on a set of white chestplates and shinguards, she proceeded to clip on a matching white metal helmet, adorned with a crude red cross on its front; and over all of this, she still wore that odd white coat of hers.

"Mademoiselle Sieghart, if you would please assist with my hair," she grunted, futilely attempting to roll up her hair to fit under the helmet.

"I don't see why you'd have to put it underneath the helmet," replied the knight, shrugging, "But I'll help you anyway. There, that should do it,"

"Thank you. Now, where were those syringes..."

Pulling out a large wooden crate from under her bed, she slid open its lid. The doctor lifted out the strangest gun that Elesis had ever seen. A large drum-shaped container held dozens of green needles, each containing a venomous-looking dark green liquid. A red canister was slung below its frame, with numerous rubber hoses feeding into its rear.

"I thought you disliked killing and death in general. So, what's with the gun under your bed?" Elesis asked, as Katherine pulled out another set of orange needles, seemingly no less venomous than the last.

"I dislike seeing death, and I dislike killing. This is my solution," she murmured, racking a set of needles into the chamber.

Killing bandits was something that every knight had gone through. They were depraved beings who preyed upon the weak and the innocent. Humans who had no right to be called humans. To the dark knight, they were merely creatures to be culled without mercy. The mere concept of a healer who would not slay even one of them was baffling to Elesis. Surely she realised that those vermin that she did not destroy would simply return in greater numbers?

"Well, I'm coming with you," spoke Elesis, crossing her arms. There was no way that she would allow this woman to leave the task half-finished, no matter how distasteful she thought it was.

"You have just recovered from severe injuries. Stay here and rest,"

"And leave you in harm's way? I can't do that. Let me come with you,"

"You do not need to worry about me. I will be fine," Katherine said soothingly, though her trembling fingers suggested otherwise, "Now stay and rest. I will be back soon enough,"

Elesis watched in silence as the Katherine walked out. The woman hated seeing a corpse – hated killing – and most of all, seemed to have the strangest sense of justice. One that forbade the killing of any life, innocent or not. Still, a knight still had her honour to uphold, and that included repayment of all her debts.

"I believe I recommended that you remain in Sanctuary to recover, Mademoiselle Sieghart," huffed Katherine, as Elesis jogged to catch up to her.

"And I think you still need me to guard you. You're not going to fight those bandits alone, not as long as I can still swing a sword,"

"I do not think that a common utility machete would count as a sword. And I most certainly do not approve of one who has not fully recovered taking part in such vigorous activities as combat. Please, return to my house," she pleaded.

But Elesis only crossed her arms and shook her head, glaring at her squarely in the eyes. The doctor sighed and motioned for her to come forward.

"Sacre bleu, you have to be the most persistent person that I have ever met. Both physically, and in disposition. Come here, then" she muttered, holding up another two needles, causing Elesis to flinch in fear.

"I...fine," Elesis huffed, offering her left wrist to the doctor, covering her eyes with her right hand. Two swift, sharp jabs later, and the red knight whimpered, cradling her wrist even as the needle-holes closed up in no time at all.

"That will keep your healing on schedule, even despite this...excursion," the doctor spoke, "Now, let us keep moving. I would prefer to move under the cover of darkness, and daybreak will come in a few hours,"

* * *

The trek to the bandits' lair had been arduous. Between the constant pain now racking her partly-healed ribs and the pitch darkness in which they walked through, Elesis was starting to regret her decision to follow the woman. It seemed as though she could see perfectly fine, even though her device's light was off.

"How much further is this damned bandit base?" panted Elesis, glaring at the blonde's back. She had tripped over numerous logs, stones and the occasional skeleton in following Katherine. It was almost ludicrous, the way in which that woman was almost dashing effortlessly over every obstacle that the knight saw (and those that she didn't see). Even in her numerous night-time forays into demon territory, she had never seen anyone, demon or human, travel so fast over rough terrain in complete darkness.

"It is not much further. I can see the satellite dish from here, and that is where the raiders have taken Monsieur Abernathy's daughter," Katherine said, matter-of-factly, turning to face Elesis. Arching an eyebrow, she queried, "Have I said something offensive?"

"Slow...down. Phew,"

And then the knight noticed something odd about the doctor's eyes. The vivid green of her eyes were somehow _luminous._ Like the eyes of a cat, or a dog.

"Your eyes. What happened to them?" Elesis gasped, taking a step backwards. The blonde seemed somewhat puzzled by Elesis' reaction to seeing her face, as though nothing was out of the ordinary; and then her eyes widened as she realised that the knight's eyes did not glow as hers did.

"Mon dieu. I have forgotten..." she stammered, rushing over to Elesis' side. A pair of yellow-brown pills she fished out of her white coat's inside lining, "Eat these. You might feel dizziness for a minute or two, but you will be able to see in the dark as well as you could in the day,"

The knight grumbled as she devoured the pills in one gulp. "...Better late than never," she said. Her vision distorted for a few brief moments, and everything seemed to become rather blurred. Yet the darkness that enveloped her before seemed to shrink away, and sure enough, all became as bright as day.

"This effect is temporary, and will not last for longer than two or three hours at best," cautioned Katherine, who slipped the bottle back under her coat, "However, if all goes well, we should have completed our task long before then. Let us proceed,"

Now that Elesis could see in the darkness, the sight in front of her caused her to gasp in shock. There was an enormous ruined building in front of her, covered in the filth and grime accumulated over centuries. A vast dish-like structure towered above it, suspended by a bewildering array of rusting steel girders that creaked ever so slightly whenever the wind blew. Yet what disgusted her most was what had been plastered all over the broken metal fence that surrounded the place.

Skulls. And human corpses, with various limbs detached and impaled elsewhere on the metal fence. A crude skull-and-crossbones had been painted with what appeared to be blood on the concrete wall of the largest building, near which a vicious-looking dog was devouring a rotting human leg.

"...I remember the day that I first saw a raider encampment," Katherine murmured, raising her needle gun, "The sight still haunts me, even today,"

"If you want, I could take care of this for you," growled Elesis, unsheathing the machete on her hip. It was crude and unbalanced, though its edge was sharp, "It would be my pleasure to slaughter these...these..."

"No. I will...deal with them. This is my responsibility," Katherine replied. Her voice was unsteady, and her hands were shaking. But as she spotted a lone patrolling raider on a catwalk high above, she held her breath in, and carefully levelled her weapon. The shaking soon lessened, and she pulled the trigger on her gun.

A nearly-silent hiss, and a small, nearly invisible dart flew from the gun's muzzle. It struck the raider squarely on the neck. The man's limbs jerked wildly about, his hands frantically scrabbling at the needle on his neck; but in three seconds, he fell to the ground, still convulsing.

"There was a dog, was there not? Bonne nuit, chien," she whispered, quickly putting another needle into the confused dog outside. It promptly keeled over and slumped limply against a wire fence, snoring loudly.

"I thought you would not kill them. What _are_ those...things?" Elesis whispered back, still in awe at the weapon.

"That is correct. I would not kill them. I did not say that I would not harm them. At least temporarily," Katherine said, loading two more darts into the gun, "As for your second question, let us keep moving first. I shall answer it when we have more time,"

The interior of the building was no less horrific than the exterior. Metal shelves filled with various scorched documents were filled with rows of skulls. Cigarette butts and various empty bottles littered the floor, filling the room with the foul scent of stale smoke and alcohol. Katherine coughed as she walked inside, a hand covering her nose in a futile attempt to keep the stench out.

"These raiders could benefit from learning a little about basic hygiene and cleanliness," Katherine murmured as she scanned the room, "And all this alcohol. Their livers must be little more than a shrivelled lump of dead flesh by now. How foul. Let us continue; the sooner we are away from this place, the sooner I can have my clothes washed clean,"

Elesis merely shrugged and followed the woman in, blade held at the ready. A battlefield was never a clean place. Viscera, excrement and loose limbs strewn all over muddy ground did not make for a pleasant environment. If the woman was not ready for the horrors of war, then perhaps she should have stayed in Sanctuary.

"It is dark inside. Beware of where you tread," Katherine whispered, creeping forward and quietly opening the door. A flight of stairs led downwards, only lit by a single flickering lightbulb. Across a threshold at the bottom, there was thin, almost invisible beam of red light crossing the floor. As Elesis was about to step through it, she felt Katherine seize her arm and pull her backwards, causing her to topple over with a yelp.

"What's the idea?" she hissed, glaring at the blonde. Katherine, for her part, paid the knight no mind. Instead, she peered carefully around the corner. Nestled against the door frame was a small box with a wire leading upwards to a dark, round object stuck in the ceiling. An object which seemingly had several smaller cylinders protruding from its centre.

"An electrode trap. I must admit, I am impressed," Katherine muttered, pulling out a scalpel from a pocket and quietly slicing the wire leading upwards. The box's light immediately faded away with a faint whine, "I must have underestimated these raiders' intelligence. Come now, the trap is disarmed. Had you stepped through, you would have had several rather severe burns,"

"...Thanks," Elesis replied grudgingly, rubbing her leg where she fell hard against the staircase.

The thrumming of machinery echoed throughout the concrete bunker, thankfully masking the pair's footsteps. On the other side of the wall, a series of observation windows opened up into a well-lit room; one which seemed to be misted over in a stinking grey haze. Katherine coughed softly as she came close to the window, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Psycho, and more than a bit of jet," Katherine sniffed, as she peered into the room. "Acrid smell, must be powdered smoked buffout as well-"

"What's that sound?" a female voice called out from inside the room.

Thinking quickly, Elesis yanked the doctor down from the window, cushioning the fall with her own body. The loud, stomping footsteps echoed throughout the entire chamber. They grew closer, and then further away, clicking on concrete giving way to the ringing noise of tortured metal grating under far too much weight.

"Only a fucking coward hides," she taunted. Soon, a few more sets of footsteps joined in.

Elesis looked at Katherine. Her face was pale, her eyes wide, and she was breathing rather quickly. Her hands trembled around her gun.

"There's no way you can fight like this. Stay here, and I'll take care of them," Elesis whispered, fumbling around to find her machete's handle as she scrambled off Katherine and down the staircase, flattening herself against the corner of the wall. Two shadows were visible on the wall of the staircase on their right, small guns in hand; Elesis raised her blade, ready to strike down the fools that were about to come around the corner.

Katherine, however, shook her head and instead pulled out a syringe, stabbing herself with it just below her neck and depressed the plunger. Immediately, her fingers stopped trembling and she breathed slightly slower. Almost as though she were relaxed, despite the raiders being close enough to easily put a bullet in her head. When two grime-crusted bandits appeared at the bottom of the stairs, they found themselves crumpling to the ground before Elesis could so much as even think of swinging her blade.

Each with a blue-flighted dart in their necks, snoring like newborn children.

"Oh, lookie here. It looks like we got ourselves a hero!" a mocking male voice called, followed by a vicious volley of gunshots. The bullets impacted harmlessly against the wall at the top of the staircase, though Elesis still flinched somewhat as one struck the wall next to her nose, spraying her with bits of concrete.

"Allow them to come. Please," Katherine spoke calmly, beckoning to Elesis. The knight reluctantly nodded, slowly backing away from the corner.

"Where'd the bitch go?" snarled a raider, "Come on, boys, let's get them!"

With perhaps more bravery than prudence, the raiders charged up the staircase, their guns spraying lead wildly. Two met their end at Elesis' hands, a blade slashing their throats open, while three more slumped over unconscious, courtesy of a few poisoned darts.

"Well, well! It looks like the whores that came after us has friends that can actually fight. All these fuckers can't fight for shit anyway, so I guess I gotta take out the trash for once! Come out, bitches, and show your face! Come on, I dare you!" a female taunted from the floor below. A strange low whine sounded from where her voice came from, and Katherine's eyes widened as she recognised that sound.

"Minigun," she mouthed, stumbling to her feet, but falling over as her legs gave way, "Merde! I must have miscalculated the dosage,"

"What's the matter with a really tiny gun?" Elesis asked her, confused.

Katherine eyed her in disbelief. Did this woman really not know what a minigun was? Nevertheless, she shook her head and crawled away from the staircase's entrance with her hands and arms, her legs paralysed through the excessive use of Med-X. As she settled herself down against the wall, she could hear the whine of the minigun's motor growing louder and louder. It was almost at the foot of those stairs, the she-raider's heavy footsteps thunderous against the background thrum of machinery.

"Ha! Found you!"

The doctor closed her eyes. A surprised yelp from Elesis was the last she heard of the woman, followed by the maniacal cackling of the raider before the minigun's deafening roar overwhelmed her hearing.

* * *

In Elesis' view, the doctor could not have been more _wrong_ about the sort of weapon her adversary was carrying. She had seen guns among the nasods, cannons among the artillery corps of the Red Knights. But never in her wildest dreams did she imagine something like this.

A many-barrelled monstrosity, spinning furiously with a low whine. So large that the muscular she-wolf carrying the weapon appeared to be smaller than her gun. It would have been more fitting as a weapon on an airship, or mounted in a cannon's carriage, than to be carried by a single person.

But her thoughts were interrupted as the spinning weapon opened fire with a thunderous roar. A cannon's blast she had heard before; a single, deafening blast that tended to shock one terribly if one were too close. If its sound could be described as a thunderclap, then this monstrous weapon's sound could only be described as an endless thunderstorm.

A torrential barrage of bullets ripped through the air at her. Dozens struck her chest and midsection, sending stars through her vision as their impacts bruised her still-healing ribs.

Whatever this weapon was, she wasn't going to allow it to dominate her. Gritting her teeth, she glared into the bandit's eyes.

This scum needed to die. Painfully.

* * *

"Brutal cutter!" she heard Elesis yell, and the roar of the minigun died away, giving way to a cacophony of scraping noises, much like an enormous chainsaw grinding away at concrete.

Her ears still ringing, Katherine crawled back towards the staircase, an inch at a time.

"Don't look," a familiar voice wheezed, and Elesis flopped down beside her, clutching her heart. The redhead's bodysuit was riddled with pockmarks from bullet impacts, but whatever material it had been crafted of was sturdy enough to block the minigun's bullets from penetrating any further. A few gashes were on her legs, where the bodysuit's material had been patched over by hardened leather; and a lot of blood coated her face, still dripping from her chin. She hacked up a little blood and spat it to the side, sniffing indignantly as she did so.

"Mon dieu. Come here, let me take a look. Your face...you did not take a head injury, did you?" Katherine gasped, touching the woman's bloody cheek. When Elesis shook her head and moved away, the doctor sighed in relief.

"You told me it was a small gun," growled Elesis weakly, still glaring at Katherine, "Not something that...that would be...fitting on a _ship!_ "

"It is what it is called. Why it is called that, I do not know. However...where is your weapon?"

"It broke after I attempted to use it as I would use my own sword," murmured the dark knight, who staggered to her feet, "I don't have a weapon, but I suppose one of these bandits would have _something_ at least,"

Before Katherine could reply, Elesis walked slowly down the staircase. The entire wall was drenched in a thin film of blood; a sight that caused the doctor to turn away, covering her mouth at the sight of the carnage. It was probably a good thing that the knight had found another rusted machete on a fallen raider before the doctor could follow her down. The sight of the she-raider's shredded torso would have likely caused her to faint.

"I think that's the last of these bandits. Let's have a look around and see if we can find that man's missing daughter,"

"...Yes, I believe that would be...advisable," replied Katherine, averting her eyes from all the blood. Rolling her eyes, Elesis unwrapped the scarf from about her neck and wrapped it around the blonde's head and over the her eyes, eliciting a shocked yelp from the surprised woman.

"Take my hand, and I'll lead you past these bodies," Elesis said, roughly taking the woman's wrist and pulling her along none too gently. Her patience with the woman's squeamishness was wearing very thin indeed. How she had survived for so long was a mystery to her; especially in a land so desolate that hardly anything grew in, or even lived.

The farmer's daughter, however, was in a condition far worse than Elesis had expected.

Her clothes were in tatters, and her smallclothes had been thrown haphazardly over a can of stinking machine oil. Two of her fingers were missing, one on each hand; and if Elesis was not mistaken, the blood trailing down her closed eye was not simply that which flowed from the wounds on top of her head. The woman stared blankly with one eye at both Katherine and Elesis, as though unaware of what was happening. The gashes on her bloodied legs were scabbed, and angry red welts criss-crossed her bare back. And even through all this, her arms were bound together behind her back by a tangle of metal wires.

"Damn it. We were too late to stop those brutes. Hold on-" Elesis said quickly, undoing the scarf over Katherine's eyes, "Katherine. She's injured, can you do something about her?"

"Injured? Mon dieu, I—I see," she gasped, rushing forward to the bruised and battered woman. She waved a hand in front of the woman's eyes, producing not even a blink from her. "Lack of response to visual stimulus, physical evidence of significant blood loss and...unspeakable acts,"

The doctor quickly pressed fingers to the woman's neck. Finding a weak pulse, she looked to Elesis with pleading eyes, and handed her a strange, striped blue rod with a wick on one end. "She is still alive, if only barely. I cannot carry her on my own, and I will not let you harm your body any further by trying to carry her yourself. I will need you to return to the surface and light this. Throw it on the highest point of the building outside once you have done so. Some of my men will come, even if they are on patrol. Please, do so now!"

* * *

A/N

Do no harm? Do MOST harm is the name of the game! -pulls out Fat Man launcher-


	5. 05 - A Light in the Darkness

Elesis coughed as she stepped out of a thick cloud of luminous blue smoke. When Katherine had told her to light the stick on fire, she did not expect the thing to burn so quickly in her hand. The flames quickly surged up the rest of the stick, quicker than she could drop the burning object.

"What the hell is the big idea?" she coughed, wishing that she had her cloak to keep the smoke out of her eyes.

The first rays of dawn had begun to peek over the horizon, illuminating the scorched land; and at the bottom of the hill near the building she was on, she saw three men with the same hat as that which Preston wore. Their leader, a short, stoutly-built man, walked a good few feet away, while his two fellows flanked him on either side.

"Those must be the minutemen patrol that she spoke of. Hey! Over here!" cried out Elesis, walking down the metal catwalk. The men that she had seen broke into a brisk jog, and by the time she had reached the base of the catwalk, the three stood waiting in front of her, musket-lasers at the ready.

"We saw the signal flare, and thought we'd come to investigate. But you're not with the Minutemen; how'd you...?" their leader spoke, scratching the back of his head.

"Katherine gave me that...thing...and told me to light it on the highest point I could find," replied Elesis.

"Wait, Kath- General Delacroix? She's here?" the one behind him chimed in incredulously, "You're not joking, are you?"

"If I was joking, you would know about it," growled Elesis, glaring at a flinching minuteman. Even the lowest of the squires in the Red Knights did not talk back to their superiors. Nor to others, for that matter.

Their leader held up his hands, taking a step backwards. "Whoa, ease off there, friend. James here didn't mean no harm. It's just that it's a bit of a shock, hearing that Katherine's finally out of that clinic or command centre in Sanctuary. What's she need?"

"It's probably best if you head down there for yourself. There's one injured woman-"

"There is no injured woman in there. Not any more," Katherine's voice sounded from the inside of the building. She walked out of the front door, her hands bloody and her eyes downcast. "I have attempted to save her, but the internal injuries that she had suffered from those raiders proved too severe to treat. She has passed on,"

"Christ. I'm sorry to hear that, General. Who's the person that you tried to save, and who's this person that claims that she's with you?"

"The dead woman inside is the daughter of the farmer at Abernathy Farm. Blake Abernathy, if I remember correctly," Katherine said quietly, "Please have some men carry her body to the farm. At least she will receive a decent burial,"

"Understood, ma'am. What about the raiders?" the patrol leader said, tilting his head towards the snoring bandit on the catwalk.

"Well, I suppose we shall always have need for labour. Have your men restrain the ones that are alive, and bring them to the quarry at Thicket Excavations. If you believe that they may yet have hope to be reformed, then you are to rehabilitate them,"

"What if they're a raider through and through, general?"

"Then...you do what you must. But not before you have tried all that you possibly could. Is that clear, lieutenant?"

"Crystal, ma'am. Men, search for any raiders. Tie them up and march them back to the quarry once they're awake,"

Elesis shook her head in disbelief. Did the foolish doctor really think that a bandit could turn around and become a force for good? These men and women lived off the blood and sweat of those that they had killed, robbed and stolen from. She had even witnessed one of their victims die before her eyes, and yet she would still try to turn their lives around?

"Elesis? Is something wrong?" Katherine asked. She was staring at the dark knight's hand. Without realising it, the dark knight had gripped the machete at her side so tightly that her knuckles were deathly pale. Noting the source of her concern, Elesis released the rusted grip of the blade, sighing.

"...No, it's nothing,"

"Is that so?" the doctor replied, her eyes narrowed, "Well, if you eventually wish to speak of it, then I will listen. For now, let us return to the Abernathy farmstead. Mr. Abernathy deserves to know what has occurred to his daughter. And lieutenant, the supplies in these ruins will serve the Minutemen well. Have a team of settlers scour this location for anything that we could use,"

* * *

When Blake Abernathy heard that the Minutemen had returned from Satellite Station Olivia, he had walked out into the sun with a bright smile on his face. But as he watched the white-coated doctor and the black-clad woman trudge down the barren path to his farmhouse, his smile fell slightly. He thought to himself, where was his daughter?

She was definitely not behind the two women. It would not be right for them to leave her behind so far, especially in the wilderness, where all manner of creatures prey on humans.

"Monsieur Abernathy," Katherine said. Her eyes never met the man's own, for she was still staring at the ground.

"Oh, it's you again. Did...did you find her?" the farmer spoke, wringing his hands together hopefully. When neither of the two women replied immediately, the faint smile on his face faltered and faded away into a frown.

"We did find her," Elesis added. Her blood-red eyes were cold and unfeeling, staring at the man without the least bit of remorse, "She had been tortured by the raiders for a long time. The fact that she was alive when we arrived was a miracle in itself,"

"She's alive? Then...where is she?" the man cried out hopefully, latching on to Elesis' arm. She flinched, instinctively trying to wrench her arm free, but the man's grip was stronger than she thought.

"Monsieur Abernathy. Your daughter...did not survive," Katherine said softly, futilely trying to pry the man's fingers from Elesis' arm, "I attempted all that I could to save her life, but her internal injuries were too great, and she had lost far too much blood. She has passed away under my care,"

Reality dawned on the man. The two women had come back not to return his daughter, but to bring the news of her death. That was why he did not see her trailing behind them.

He would never see his daughter smile again.

"Then you didn't try hard enough!" he roared, pounding on the dark knight's body with his fists, causing Elesis to flinch and hiss in pain as he struck her hard on her collarbone, "There's got to be something – anything – that you could've tried. Something!"

"There's nothing you can do for the dead. The dead are exactly that – dead!" Elesis growled harshly, shoving the man off her and rubbing the spot where he had struck, "No amount of crying is going to bring her back. Do you understand that?"

Katherine glared at Elesis and shook her head. The man was distraught, weeping on the ground. Yet Elesis chose to continue, prowling around the man like a wolf would stalk a cowering sheep.

"She chose to fight. She could have stayed on the farm, repaired whatever damage those raiders have done. She could have waited for a more experienced adventurer or warrior to come by, asking them to get your precious heirloom back. But she chose to fight those bandits herself, and now paid the price for her foolish actions," snarled the dark knight.

"Mary...my precious Mary," Blake sobbed, wiping his eyes on a ragged sleeve.

"She chose to fight. She was captured, and died in captivity. That's the price of trying to fight a battle that she could not win,"

"Elesis. Please, enough of this. He has lost enough, without your words wounding him further," pleaded Katherine, putting herself between the pacing knight and the grieving farmer, "Mr. Abernathy. I understand what it means to lose someone. And even if it may not mean much to you at this time, I would like to offer my sympathies. Losing someone is always a terrible loss. There is no exception to this. But you are still alive, and your other daughter is also alive. You must move on; surely, your late daughter would not wish you to be so miserable,"

"It's my fault. I should not have said anything about that...that pendant," mumbled the farmer, "Then she would not have tried to go after them,"

"What has happened is already in the past. You could not have known that she would dare to challenge those raiders. Yet even in all this, you could be certain of one thing. Your daughter loved you dearly enough that she would risk herself to retrieve something that you held dear,"

"It wasn't worth it," he said bitterly, "But you are right. The past is in the past. I feared that she was already...dead...or worse. At least now I know for sure,"

Nodding, Katherine held a hand to help the man up, which he took gratefully. With a smile, she fished out the small, rusty pendant from her pocket and placed it in the man's hands. "I do have the necklace that she attempted to recover, however. It is yours, as it should be,"

"...Thank you. It won't bring her back, but at least I can keep it to remember what she tried to do. And what you've done, of course. I'll let my wife know what has happened to our dear Mary. She won't be happy, but...I think we'll manage,"

"I am sure that you will. Is there anything more that you need of the Minutemen?"

"No. You've done enough, finding her, and getting this back. It's more than I asked for," Blake said, standing up straighter, "If the Minutemen need a place to rest, my farmhouse is open to your men. You've looked after us, and we'll do the same. Now, I'd probably better get this news to my wife. Goodbye for now, Katherine,"

"And you too, monsieur," she said, watching him trudge slowly back to his waiting wife and daughter.

* * *

The two walked back to Sanctuary in uncomfortable silence. Katherine fumed silently at Elesis the entire way, while she in turn remained defiantly unrepentant. A few settlers raised their eyebrows as they walked past, curious as to what could have offended the normally amiable doctor so much. On reaching her clinic, both walked inside, and Katherine slammed the door shut after them.

Only Preston was inside, sitting on a chair in front of her desk with a pen in hand. A pile of papers sat in front of him, with a radio rapidly chattering away beside it. He took a brief look at Katherine and immediately stood up, tipping his hat to her.

"General. How goes your mission?" Preston asked uncertainly, watching the woman storm inside with uncharacteristic anger.

"Successful, to an extent," she sighed, cradling her head as she sat herself down on a nearby chair, "Monsieur Abernathy's heirloom was stolen by raiders, and his daughter attempted to retrieve it. We were able to recover the heirloom, but I could not save his daughter,"

"Hmm. Deaths are unfortunate, Katherine. And they're also part of everyday Wasteland life. But that doesn't explain why you're so...upset,"

"Perceptive, Preston, but this does not concern you," she replied dryly, "Now, if you would please exit the clinic. I have something to discuss in private with our guest,"

"Alright then. I'll speak with you another time,"

As Preston left the room, Katherine beckoned to Elesis, motioning her to sit down in the chair opposite her desk. The knight did so and crossed her arms, meeting Katherine's disappointed gaze without so much as blinking.

"I do not know what has made you so bitter, my friend," Katherine spoke softly, leaning forward, "You are alive and well. That is more than I could say for Monsieur Abernathy's daughter. Or for many of the minutemen who were under my command at some point, who have given up their lives for our cause. If you would like, I will listen to what troubles you,"

Still the knight remained silent, and Katherine sighed. Standing up, she offered a hand to Elesis, who looked at the hand and stood up on her own.

"Very well. I can see that you are unwilling to speak of your experiences. I will not pry further into the matter, but my offer to listen still stands. I do, however, ask you to walk with me,"

Raising an eyebrow, Elesis followed the woman. She walked to a nearby window; its frame was rusted and cracked, and there was a thick layer of dust upon it. And yet even through the tattered shroud-like curtain that hung over it, brilliant rays of sunshine filtered into the room. The chatter of waking townsfolk drifted into the room, the occasional laugh or giggle piercing the dreary sound of a breeze whistling through the ruined building on the other side.

"Tell me what you see, and what you hear," Katherine asked, squeezing Elesis' shoulder ever so gently.

"I...I hear...people?" the dark knight replied uncertainly, confused as to what the doctor was trying to achieve, "And I see...people? And a ruined town?"

Nodding, Katherine smiled, "That is correct. There are people living in this once-ruined town. They are alive, as are you. You have travelled with me but a short distance; only to Monsieur Abernathy's farm, and then to Satellite Station Olivia. What do you think of our land?"

"It's...dead. Like it was burned to the ground,"

"That is precisely correct. Nuclear fire burned the world, giving birth to the wasteland that we live in. The soil is poisoned, the water is poisoned, and the air itself is poisoned. Few humans remain alive. And yet those who do...they continue to fight against the wasteland, clinging to life,"

A few settlers passed by the window, waving to the doctor as they walked past with heavy sacks of produce on their backs. She smiled in return, nodding to them. Elesis then noted the fields of newly-planted corn stretching across the flatter parts of the town, their greenish stalks a strange contrast against the grey and brown barren lands that stretched as far as the eye could see.

"There was a time, long ago, when our fellow citizens could live without fear of being murdered. Without fear of starvation, or thirst. It was not perfect, but it was still...it was not this. It was not an endless struggle for survival, living on the scraps of the past,"

"I still don't see what that has to do with me. I kill bandits and monsters, and those that are guilty. I repay my debts to those that help me. Why should I even care about these people?" Elesis muttered, turning away from the window. The doctor's grip on her shoulder tightened a little more, and she paused in her tracks.

"You think much like my late husband, it seems. He, too, preferred to end his confrontations with force, preferring to let his gun silence those that wronged him. All I have to ask is this; everyone fights for something, struggles for something, strives to achieve something. What is it that you want to achieve?"

The dark knight whispered, "I don't know. I fought for the people under my command at one time, trying to keep them alive. Now? I don't know if they're even alive. If they are, then I don't know if they even know that I'm still alive,"

She laughed bitterly, crossing her arms. "Even if they were, they probably wouldn't send anyone after me. I argued against my lord one too many times about the way he handled criminals in his realm, and I was banished from his court. Still, I'm curious. What about yourself? What do you want to achieve in this world that looks like it's only a few moments before dying?"

Katherine paused briefly, before answering that question with absolute conviction. "I wish to rebuild it,"

"What? Why?" asked Elesis, raising an eyebrow.

"There is already enough suffering in the world, mademoiselle. The way in which you reacted to Monsieur Abernathy's grief only serves to vindicate my belief in what I do. To alleviate some of the burdens of the world for an innocent soul, no matter how little of it we assist with, is always a worthy goal. It is, however, something that cannot be achieved on my own, nor on anyone's own,"

To a battle-hardened dark knight, the very concept of helping others for the sake of doing so was almost...foreign. She couldn't remember when she had last assisted a village for the sake of assisting. Was it Bethma, or was it Ruben? Either way, Elesis could not recall those clearly. Only the call to arms of her lord she remembered vividly, for every night since the Glitter army invaded Feita and Velder she had been fighting those demons. Even now, her blood boiled at the mere thought of those vile creatures.

"The Minutemen always could use more physically-fit men and women. I would appreciate it if you would consider joining us in rebuilding the Commonwealth,"

"Me? Helping to build something?" the redhead scoffed, broken out of her thoughts by an even more absurd idea. Her hands were only capable of dealing death and destruction using her blade. Surely this healer – this doctor – was not suggesting that she, a knight, would help these settlers dig in the dirt to plant some crops and erect a few structures?

"The Minutemen provide protection and guidance to the free settlers of the Commonwealth," explained Katherine, "Our men and women fight so that they may live in relative peace and safety. In return, they provide us with food, water and labour. It is an arrangement beneficial for all involved. Unless you feel inclined to do so, we would not force you to build anything,"

"Not that I would be able to, anyway," muttered Elesis under her breath. Looking outside, she could see the barren grey wasteland; devoid of plants, and likely hosting various hostile creatures that she was unaware of. Survival would truly be an issue, as she did not know what to find that was edible out there, or what was drinkable; or in fact, if there was even _anything_ edible or drinkable. A fact that was only highlighted when her stomach gave a loud rumble.

"...I guess I have no choice. I'll join," she grumbled, her cheeks turning pink. The doctor then offered a hand, which she shook firmly; and to her surprise, the doctor then leant forward and wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug.

Katherine then stepped back, smiling. "Magnifique," she trilled, "Welcome to the Minutemen, mademoiselle. I suppose the first thing that we shall do is find something to silence your hunger, yes? Follow me,"

* * *

A/N

"...And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."

The wasteland is a dark place. Less so in New Vegas, but more so in Fallout 3. Not so sure about Fallout 4, because the ability to construct new settlements wherever one pleases is...well, it reduces the wasteland's size, to be honest. Being able to flee to a nearby heavily-fortified settlement whenever you are outnumbered is an amazingly cheap thing to do.

I still don't quite understand how someone managed to get through all of Fallout 4 without killing a single creature. The playthrough is...mind-boggling.

Until next time, then!

-ArcturusWolf


	6. 06 - Dragon Slayer?

"So, you're a minuteman now, huh?" Sturges chuckled nervously, sharpening the edge of a machete's blade, "Figured Katherine would talk you into it. She could probably talk even a deathclaw into joining the Minutemen, if it could stop and listen for a minute,"

"I don't have much of a choice. And I owe her for saving my life," grumbled Elesis, who eyed the pieces of her claymore on the table in front of him, "Get my weapon fixed. I can't exactly help her if I don't have something to use,"

"Hey now, chill. Last I heard, she wasn't going to send you out just yet," he said, putting away a now-sharp machete and starting on a combat knife, "Besides, there's a lot of guns there. Why don't you pick one up and give it a shot?"

Elesis looked at the rack of guns on the wall of the armoury and snorted. "It's cowardly. A knight should look the creature she's killing in the eye," she declared, before picking up the freshly-sharpened machete and giving it an experimental swing. It was well balanced, for sure, but far too light for her liking.

"Well, there aren't any dragons for you to slay here, brave knight. Maybe deathclaws would count, if they breathed fire," joked Sturges, "And I thought that knights of yore wore much more armour than...whatever that is. Not that I'll complain about a bit of eye candy,"

He laughed as he barely dodged a poorly aimed slap from Elesis, whose cheeks flushed an intense crimson matching her scarf. Clearing his throat, he resumed sharpening the knife still in his hand.

"Well, I do have a point to make. I'm not saying that just because...you know. If you like fighting up close and personal, you need to be able to get close to your enemies without getting shot to pieces first. If you want, I've got a few spare ceramic plates I could put on that leather armour,"

"I'll pass on that one. More armour only gets in the way," she replied dryly, swinging the machete in her hand one more time before sheathing it.

"Suit yourself, then. As usual, if you get that suit banged up, come back and see me. I'll fix it right up,"

Shrugging, Elesis turned to leave the cramped, hot armoury. A part of her craved a good fight, one that she had not had for the last week in convalescence. And the mention of this 'deathclaw' creature intrigued her. The way in which every settler seemed to shrink in fear at its mention suggested that it was a creature to be feared. Almost like a greater Glitter demon, in a way, and an enemy which would probably make for good practice.

Only as she walked past the door did she notice a familiar dark purple glint on the wall of the armoury. Taking a step back, she took a closer look at the source of the colour.

"This..." she breathed, reaching out to the crystal on the wall. It was only the length of her palm, and the width of two of her fingers, and yet...

The vivid purple colour. That rush of energy as her fingers brushed against its jagged surface. That insatiable desire for violence, for blood, for destruction.

This was the dark Elshard. Or at least, a piece of it. She was certain of it. A hole had been drilled through its top, through which a fine metal chain had been threaded into, forming a necklace.

"Sturges," she said, not taking her gaze away from the crystal. The man did not so much as glance away from his whetstone, and so she snarled loudly, "Sturges! Where...how...did you get this? Who else has touched it? Tell me!"

"Whoa, keep it down. I'm not deaf," he yelped, "Katherine's the only one that touched it, as far as I remember,"

"You're certain? Nobody else has touched it?"

"Aside from myself on one occasion? Absolutely. Every person that's come near it says that they get a sense of...power. Like they could pick up a brahmin and throw it a hundred feet. I don't know what it does, but I felt the same thing when I turned it into a pendant on Katherine's orders. Now, I don't know what it is, or what it does, but...it doesn't feel right. You know something more about it?"

"It...well, let's just say that I'd better hold on to it," Elesis muttered, picking it up and looping it around her neck.

"I suppose that since we found it on you, it's yours. Everything about it seems wrong, though. You be careful with it, you hear?"

"Yes...I will..."

In truth, Elesis was not even listening to the man any more. The piece of the dark Elshard, as small as it was, contained tremendous power. Something that should not be trifled with. Something that should be kept under her control, and not simply lying where anyone could find it.

Yes. Under her control, where its power was hers.

Her train of thought was broken by Katherine's second-in-command. "Elesis. Nice...necklace?" Preston said, cocking his head to one side.

"...It's probably safer on me than inside the armoury. What do you need, Preston?" replied the knight, a hand on her blade's handle, "You need something dead?"

"Maybe. Maybe I do," he said quietly. His eyes were locked on the woman's weapon, "Not here, though. There have been reports of deathclaw sightings nearby. A few of our patrols have been dispatched, but one has failed to report in on time. I hope they're alright, but if it's really a deathclaw, then I hope that whoever is left is quick enough to outrun it,"

The mention of a deathclaw had caused several nearby settlers to look at the minutemen in fear. One of them then piped up in a quivering voice, "A-a deathclaw? Here?"

"No, not in Sanctuary. Please continue on your way, there's nothing to be worried about," Preston called out, motioning them to move along. When the settlers slowly dispersed, he whispered to Elesis, "I don't have heavy weapons here, and the general is out with another patrol to observe a settlement's development. But between you, me, and two more minutemen, we should be able to find the missing patrol and bring them back,"

The memories of her unit came flooding back to her mind. The soldiers sent to their deaths to delay or halt the Glitter advance, no matter the cost. Many died on the spears and arrows of those demons, and countless more crushed under their hammers. The few that escaped could only do so because she stood before the tide of enemies, alone, repelling them in a hopeless last stand. A last stand, in a forgotten chapel, wading through pools of black blood as she hacked down as many of those demons before she was too wounded to fight back.

Her eyes flared in anger at those memories. Enough of Feita's knights – her men – had died on that day. She would never allow that to repeat again. Not while she was standing, breathing, and could still swing a blade.

"If they're still alive," she snarled, adjusting her scarf, "Then we must find them. Where were they supposed to go, and how long ago were they supposed to report back?"

"Uh...yes. They were supposed to be back in Sanctuary two hours ago. They were supposed to investigate the availability of supplies in an old government supply depot,"

"Then let's go. There's no time to waste,"

* * *

Deathclaws, it seemed, were aptly named.

From at least half a mile away from the last known position of the Minutemen patrols, there was a telltale trail of total destruction. Tree trunks were shredded and torn aside, with grooves larger than what a claymore could ever achieve seemingly carved by claws. Here and there, a corpse of a raider lay slumped against trees or ruined vehicles, missing legs or arms – or occasionally, a head, permanently fixed in a horrified stare.

"What sort of creature is a deathclaw?" Elesis whispered, running the edge of a blade on a raider corpse's cloven neck. The wound was ragged, as though his head had been bitten off by an enormous bear trap.

"One that you don't want to meet," Preston replied, his voice low, "The first one that I've seen was from the safety of a building, with at least half a dozen other minutemen. We threw every last grenade we had, and only managed to cripple its legs. Dozens of fusion cells later, and we finally killed it. It's tough, it's fast, and it's strong enough to rip your limbs off if it so much as scratches you,"

"Sounds like something that I need to kill,"

"If we can help it, I'd rather not fight one," murmured Preston, followed by two grunts of agreement from the two other minutemen behind him, "It'd take at least a rocket launcher or a good shot from an artillery piece to even take it out. We're getting close to that depot, now. Everyone, keep quiet and stay hidden,"

The depot was a massive pit in the ground, with what seemed to be a concrete building jutting out of one side of the pit. Ruined armoured vehicles formed a ring around the centre, surrounding a mountain of shattered bones and fetid scraps of flesh. Olive green crates with a white star in a circle on its middle were piled neatly off to one side; the sight of which, Elesis noted, drew all the focus of all the minutemen with her.

"Those are the supplies we were after," Preston said, drawing his rifle and looking through the scope, slowly scanning the battlefield.

"No sign of the missing patrol, sir," one of the others added, "Plenty of dead raiders, though. Looked like they'd been eaten,"

"What about our patrol? Any sign of them?"

"No, sir. Well, not quite. I couldn't see anything. Maybe they're holed up inside the building,"

"That's possible, I guess. Alright. There's no use in us just sitting around here, doing nothing. Jacob, Isley, you scout the perimeter. If you see anything, throw a signal flare and we'll come running. Elesis, you're with me. We'll be searching the centre for anyone that might be alive,"

"Understood," the three responded in unison, each readying their weapons for what may lurk in the base ahead. The other two minutemen soon disappeared into the bushes to the side of the depot, leaving only Preston and the knight.

"Well, looks like it's just you and me, now. Stick close, and keep your guard up," he said, raising his rifle.

Elesis pulled her scarf higher, trying futilely to mask the horrible stench of the creature's lair. Even at this distance, the smell of rotting corpses was almost unbearable. Preston did not fare much better, coughing and retching as they passed a particularly decayed corpse.

A few overgrown flies – bloatflies they were called, if she remembered correctly – rose up from the pile of refuse to their left. Buzzing angrily, they began to spit globs of sickly green goo at the pair. Elesis ducked underneath, and cleaved through two with a single stroke, while Preston reduced the last to a pile of sizzling ash with two quick shots. Looking at the sticky orange-green residue on her blade, the knight immediately regretted having struck them.

"What does a deathclaw look like?" muttered Elesis, furiously shaking her machete to try and remove the disgusting residue to no avail.

"Something that you don't want to see. Big, overgrown lizard. Built like a mountain of muscle, and has claws the size of your whole arm, harder than steel and sharper than anything that Sturges could ever come up with. Horns that would put the biggest brahmin bull to shame," Preston replied, slapping another fusion cell into his musket, "And teeth...well, let's just say that anybody who's looked into its jaws isn't in any condition to talk,"

An overgrown lizard, armed with teeth and claws? To Elesis, it sounded almost as though it were a Glitter commander, but without weapons nor armour.

"Sounds like a challenge,"

"I wouldn't even try it with what you've got, or what I've got. Even if all four of us were here, and the patrol team was still alive, we wouldn't do much more than scratch it,"

Some time passed with the pair searching through piles of fetid flesh. Not a single recognisable person did they find. A few pieces of shoddy raider equipment they found, still attached to decaying limbs; but there was no sign of any minuteman gear, not even the smallest trace of the leather hat that they all wore. The sun was now overhead, chasing away the chill of early morning with its blazing heat.

"I don't see the patrol team," Elesis grumbled, loosening her scarf to cool herself down.

"Neither do I. But there seems to be no sign of the deathclaw either. I don't like this- hey, you hear that?"

A loud metallic thump came from their right, along with a muffled scream.

"From inside the building," Preston whispered, raising his rifle. Like the bunker beneath the satellite station.

Panicked footsteps echoed from inside, approaching quickly. Elesis had hardly enough time to raise her sword before the door burst open, and two sweaty, dishevelled minutemen came bursting out of the tunnel.

"Pre – Lieutenant Preston, sir! Am I glad to see you again!" one of them gasped, looking over his shoulder. The other lay on the ground, wheezing and panting.

"Relax, Jack. Elton. What's happened? Where's Miranda?" Preston asked, pulling the one on the ground to his feet, "What's going on?"

"No time to talk, sir. Mira blew up a cache of grenades to delay the...that... _thing_!" the other minuteman, Elton, spoke, "She died covering our escape. We've got to get out of here!"

"You mean it's still alive, even after a whole crate of grenades blew up in front of it?" Preston exclaimed incredulously. Jack, shaken as he was, nodded feverishly, glancing left and right as though the creature would emerge from anywhere.

His fears, however, were well founded. A deep, rumbling growl sounded from the bowels of the building. The earth shook as thunderous footsteps approached, getting closer and closer. A wave of nausea hit all of them as a putrid, gust-like breath washed over the group. And finally, the creature's face appeared in the bunker's gateway, covered in black soot and smears of blood.

Its beady black eyes surveyed the minutemen intently, its fang-filled grin growing wider with each passing second.

"It's here! Go, get out of here!" screamed Jack, firing his pistol wildly at the beast. It raised its arm to block the bullets, growling all the while, before a stray bullet struck the door mechanism's electrical box. Sparks flew from the box as the thick metal blast doors sprang to life, slamming closed in front of the charging deathclaw. The creature bounced against the solid doors with a loud thump, followed by an annoyed growl.

"Good work, Jack. Go! Let's get out of here!" yelled Preston, grabbing Elesis' arm and running as fast as he could away from the sealed door.

Elesis, however, shook her arm free of his grasp and snarled back angrily, "Cowards! You...your fellow sacrificed herself to allow you to escape. You would allow her death to mean nothing?"

"If we're all dead, then it would _really_ mean nothing! Now come on, let's go!"

"Not while I still have a weapon,"

"Forget it, sir. Let's get out of here!" Elton said, pulling Preston's arm. Reluctantly, the minuteman walked away, shooting Elesis another worried glance.

Soon, the group of minutemen found themselves weaving between piles of crates and metal scraps. The confused roars of the beast gave way to silence, and the group halted, catching their breath. Fear had a way of making men run very, very quickly; in but seconds, they had reached the edge of the depot, resting beside a broken-down truck.

"Do you think...it's...?" Elton panted, glancing at the sealed blast doors. A dull pounding could be heard from behind the door, despite how far away the men were. Soon, that too stopped.

And then to their shock, the heavy metal door flew outwards, with an enormous charging deathclaw behind it. The creature snarled ferociously, sniffing the air for signs of prey.

"RUN!" the men yelled, hoping that Elesis still had enough sense to run before the deathclaw noticed her.

Yet Elesis stood firm. Her left hand was tightly clasped around the Dark Elshard pendant that hung about her neck, and her right tightly gripping the machete in her hand. Wisps of red-black energy began to form itself around her, growing more intense with every passing moment.

"...Ha, ha," she chuckled. Her body was shaking in silent laughter. Preston could only look on in horror as the deathclaw approached her, a single step at a time, its claws raised to strike-

And then the unthinkable happened. A pitch-black mass, covered in glowing orange runes, burst out of where her machete should be, forming itself into a greatsword almost as long as she was tall. The wisps of dark energy grew to a veritable whirlwind, whipping up her long hair into a wild, tangled mess. And if his eyes were not deceiving him, Elesis' eyes were glowing a bright crimson.

The deathclaw's razor-sharp claws lashed out, striking at her neck. Yet as if possessed, the woman swiped her blade upwards with inhuman speed. The beast howled in confused agony as several of its talons fell to the ground, still twitching.

"Unworthy. Weak. Pathetic!" shouted Elesis, who dashed forward, rushing at the wounded creature's legs. Her swings were erratic and wild, faster than the minutemen could see. But from each swing, crescent-shaped shockwaves of pure darkness shot out, slashing scorched grooves in flesh, concrete and metal alike wherever they touched.

But the deathclaw was still standing. Though its legs were shredded by countless gashes, it lashed out at Elesis with its other arm. Her eyes widened as the sword-like claws rushed towards her, quicker than any ordinary swordsman could ever swing. She hissed in pain as they claws struck her arm, hurling her across the yard like a ragdoll before her body slammed hard into a metal container.

"Fire at will!" barked Preston, who unloaded lasers into the back of the deathclaw as fast as he could. The other two minutemen followed suit, peppering the creature with a hail of bullets. Though not a single bullet penetrated its hide, a lucky laser blast struck one of the creature's eyes as it turned to look over its shoulder. Howling in blind rage, the deathclaw was now swinging wildly all around it. Ruined vehicles and empty drums were tossed about as though they were made of paper.

"So, the cowards have decided to stand and fight after all," the dark knight growled, gazing at the minutemen in the distance, "This is my fight, and I intend to end this pathetic creature. Leave. Now!"

It was then that she noticed the steady dripping coming from her left arm. Her armour had been torn just below her shoulder, where a stream of blood flowed from a ragged gash.

"Blood. Blood spilled calls for vengeance," she spoke, her voice dripping with disdain. She raised her blade and let the flow trickle onto the black edge; the runes glowing ever brighter, and the dark mass which formed its blade becoming thicker and more distinct.

Without warning, she lashed out with the blade, hurling a spinning disk of blood-red energy with a feral shriek. The deathclaw, still lashing about half-blind, only caught the briefest of glances of an ever-growing red disk speeding towards its neck. A disk that tore through the scales of its neck, and shooting out of its back with ease, slamming into the side of a cliff before vanishing into a cloud of black smoke.

Elesis slowly shambled towards the corpse of the overgrown lizard. Her dark blade dragged on the ground behind her, slowly fading away. Upon seeing the deathclaw's head, its expression frozen in horror, she thrust her blade into its remaining eye, before pulling it back out again.

The creature that the minutemen feared so was well and truly dead, and their fallen comrade was avenged. A strange sense of morbid satisfaction filled her, and she could not help but grin.

"Heh...heh...ha...ha..." she chuckled, before breaking out into mad laughter. Her machete fell to the ground, forgotten. The dark Elshard on her breast glowed brightly, filling her veins with even more power. If she had discovered this earlier, then perhaps her men would not have died. Perhaps she could have slain every last one of the demonic host of Glitters, and then some more.

If only she could show her brother's comrades what they had refused to accept when they chose to destroy the other dark Elshards.

A small part of her mind wondered where her brother was. But even that was quickly overwhelmed by the thrilling rush of power in her veins...

* * *

"She can't be dead. You're lying!" Elsword yelled at a Feita knight, standing on his tiptoes to try and appear taller.

"But it's the truth, Elsword. Only a handful of men escaped the corrupted chapel. Your sister volunteered to guard their retreat," the man calmly replied, rubbing his temples. The younger Sieghart sibling was not the easiest person to get along with on the best of days, and this was not one of them.

"She never reported in afterwards," the other knight added, removing his helmet, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. The mission, however, was a success-"

He never finished his sentence before the young warrior leapt out of his chair and charged out of their house's door, screaming his sister's name. His companion, a blonde elf, sighed and cradled her face in disappointment.

"Looks like we'll have to clean up after him again, just when I thought he was calming down. Thanks for letting us know anyway," she said, before sprinting out the door after the red-haired warrior.

Another of his companions, however, sat on a rather large drone, seemingly deep in thought. When she did raise her head, she stared directly at the senior knight. Her yellow eyes unnerved him; there was no way in Elrios that a human or elf could have eyes naturally that luminous.

"I must ask. You stated that Elesis has been killed on a mission," she spoke, in a flat monotone, "But you do not have a body nor eyewitnesses to prove that she had been killed. Other than the fact that she has not reported in for a few days, there is nothing to suggest that she has been killed. The invading Glitter army has been repelled for now. Have your superiors sent any search parties to the location?"

"Well, no, we haven't," admitted the younger knight, who scratched his head, "We haven't exactly had enough manpower to spare, with all the destruction left behind..."

"Then any data you have regarding Elesis' death is based on pure conjecture. It is defective data with no basis on factuality. We will investigate this matter further on our own. Now, if you would please vacate these premises, it would be highly appreciated,"

The two Feita knights nodded and bowed, closing the door as they left. The purple-haired mage standing beside the golden-eyed woman looked at her in confusion.

"It's already five days, Eve. I'm already hungry after half a day of not eating. I don't even want to know what a day feels like, or five days. Why do you think that Elesis is...?" Aisha asked.

"A database search reveals that the underground chapel in Feita was a sacred place for the religion of the El Lady. It is likely that there is still a large El shard somewhere inside that is enough to sustain life,"

"I know nasods use El gems to keep going, but humans need food, too," said Aisha. But as she looked at Eve's impassive face, she could not be certain. "Don't they...?"

"Nasods use the power of El shards and El gems to continue functioning. But there is no reason to think that an El shard could not allow a living creature to continue living. It is, after all, concentrated life energy. She would be hungry, and thirsty, but still alive,"

"So...should we...?"

"There is no definite evidence that suggests that Elesis is dead. Without knowing her condition with certainty, I do believe that Elsword would be unable to function on our...adventures. It is probably beneficial if we would assist him with searching for his sister,"

Soon, Eve also left, mounting her custom-made scooter and zooming off into the distance. Only Aisha remained behind, shaking her head. A nasod – an _ancient_ nasod – was showing more hope in the survival of Elsword's sister than she did.

* * *

A/N

Only Eve does the best slaps!

Welp, another chapter done. El search party finally gets wind of what happened in the Underground Chapel, and Elsword is just being...well, Elsword. Hot-headed shortie can't keep himself out of trouble, can he?

I've taken a bit of liberty with what the Dark Elshard actually does. It's a power source like any other El crystal/gem/shard, but of a much greater magnitude, allowing the user to perform extraordinary feats of combat. It does, however, have a very strong tendency to corrupt the hearts and minds of whoever uses it; and with prolonged exposure or a particularly intense use of it, perhaps it could even induce physical changes. Whatever the case, any that touch it are likely aware of its nature, and would not use it. Only the most desperate or deranged would risk using its power.

Until next time, readers! Feel free to leave thoughts in reviews, as is your right to do so.

-ArcturusWolf


	7. 07 - The Free Radical

Katherine had been drawing up plans for a communal bath-house when a dishevelled minuteman burst into her clinic, panting heavily. Raising an eyebrow, she motioned for him to sit down. She pushed her cup of water towards him; the man downed the water in a single gulp, setting down the cup before sighing in relief.

"You must be truly thirsty if you would drink so fast. Slow down, mon ami. Though I can treat people for choking, I would prefer not to," Katherine said, smiling, "Now, I trust there is a reason that you are in such a hurry?"

"Yes, actually," he panted, "Minuteman Jack, reporting in,"

"Jack? Oh, give me a minute," Katherine spoke, shuffling the plans to one side and pulling out another set of papers, "Patrol 0600, checked in. Patrol 0800...ah, there you are. Jack, Mira and Elton, sent by Preston to locate supplies in the nearby federal ration depot. Your group was supposed to rendezvous at Abernathy Farm over three hours ago, yet you failed to report in. Still, I am glad that you are safe and sound. What about your colleagues? Mira and Elton?"

An uncomfortable silence fell on the room as Jack looked away. Katherine looked at him expectantly, awaiting an answer that was not as forthcoming as she thought.

"Ma'am...Mira...didn't make it," he stuttered, looking at the floor.

"Did not make it? I...I have heard of...those things. Deathclaws, being sighted around Sanctuary. Did...did Mira...?"

The minuteman nodded. "Mira detonated a cache of grenades to delay the alpha. Elton and I ran for it, setting mines as we went. Nothing slowed down the damned thing!"

"Mon dieu. That must be horrible," she whispered, standing up, "How did you escape? That depot had scarcely any room to walk in, even before the bombs fell,"

"I...we lost it in the tunnels. Lots of raider bodies everywhere. I think that masked our smell, it was confused. We made it to the surface before it caught up with us,"

Katherine looked the man over. He was trembling, and no doubt had faced the greatest fright of his life; his eyes were unfocused and stared off into the distance, at nothing in particular. It was a sight that she was all too familiar with, and she knew the man needed a rest and some extended leave.

"You have done well to escape that place and let me know of that place," she said soothingly, "You are still alive, and I think Elton too. The two of you deserve some rest and an extended break. Make your way to the mess hall, and inform the cook that you are to receive the best that we can offer at the moment. I will send a group of minutemen with heavy weapons there tomorrow morning,"

"Thanks, Katherine. That's not needed, though,"

"A deathclaw alpha is too dangerous to live this close to Sanctuary," replied Katherine. Jack stood up and began to walk to the door, slipping on his hat, "Is there some reason why I should not send more men to...relocate the beast?"

"It's dead. Preston and...and that..lass with fiery hair. They finished it off,"

"Without heavy weapons? How?" she exclaimed in disbelief. It was common knowledge among every minuteman that a deathclaw's hide was nigh impervious to small arms fire. Nothing less than a rocket launcher would severely wound it. Even a minigun would do little more than annoy the creature, as though the storm of bullets were little more than a swarm of annoying flies.

"I...I don't know how to even describe it. You'd probably think I was insane," he muttered. As if remembering something particularly foul, he shuddered visibly.

"...I see. I understand. I shall ask Preston when he returns," Katherine said, "Go on, then. You should get some rest and a good meal. I shall be here in this clinic, should you require medical attention. You've done well,"

"Thank you, General," he replied, nodding as he left the room.

She returned to her plans, though soon she found herself unable to focus on the designs in front of her. The minutemen, while a militia force, had seen much of what the wasteland could throw at any that survived the Great War. Death and destruction was a fact of life in the wasteland, and most of them had lost a comrade or two. Most were relatively numb to seeing blood and corpses; even some of the settlers would not blink an eye at a skeleton lying in the middle of the road. The manner in which Jack was horrified, however, raised far too many questions.

Standing up, she marched to the door. She needed answers. Fortunately for her, it seemed that the Minutemen liked idle gossip perhaps as much as they liked assisting settlers.

"...You hear about it?" she heard a watchman whisper to her colleague, "Elton said that new girl managed to kill a deathclaw,"

"Elton says a lot of things. Like how his little buddy is twelve inches long. I'll believe it when I see some proof," her colleague replied, "Besides, a regular patrol taking on a deathclaw? An _alpha_ deathclaw? Come on, man. Even if they found some grenades in that depot they were at, they couldn't have killed one. It'd take a nuke at least to kill it. Not...what did they say it was?"

"Bonjour, fellow minutemen. Could I trouble you for a minute?" Katherine said cheerfully, walking up to them. The two immediately stiffened up and offered a hasty salute, "Now, there is no need for these formalities. I could not help but overhear these...things that you are saying. Is there truth in it?"

"N-no, ma'am. There's...well, we'd just head from Elton that..." the female one said, before trailing off into silence. Clearing her throat, she said, "Well, I've only heard of rumours, but not much more. Something about a deathclaw getting killed,"

"I have heard the same from Jack, who had come in to my clinic to offer me a report. He seemed terribly disturbed, and could not tell me more. Has Elton been more forthcoming?"

"I can't say for sure, ma'am," spoke the male minuteman, "I mean, I've only heard from others that were patrolling around town about what Elton's been saying. If you'd like to speak to him, he was over at the armoury, last I saw,"

"Thank you, I will do so if he is still there. Stay safe, and have a good patrol," Katherine said, nodding to the two.

A group of minutemen were crowded around the armoury, along with a few settlers. Some had seated themselves on rusty barrels, while others simply sat on the ground. All, however, were staring a single person; a wild-haired minuteman who was making exaggerated swiping gestures with his arms, all while pulling the most ludicrous imitation of a deathclaw's roar.

"...And there it was, its mouth open wide, ready to devour us. I rolled out of the way, and its jaws snapped closed on my rifle," he laughed, "Of course, I still had my pistol. A couple of shots to its eyes, and it bolted off like a mole rat in heat,"

Rolling her eyes, Katherine cleared her throat. A few of the nearby minutemen turned their heads to look. Seeing their leader, they stood up immediately and saluted shabbily, to which she chuckled. As more of them noticed, they too stood up and did the same.

"Non, that will not do. I expect a sharper salute next time, yes?" she said, causing the gathered minutemen to cough nervously, "I am kidding, of course. I do not mind this informality. But I do wish to remind you that some of you have tasks outstanding. Lieutenant Elton Marshall, if I could have a word with you,"

"Yes, General?" he replied, raising an eyebrow.

"I have heard tales of this deathclaw being slain. You were one of the ones present at the scene. If you could, please do recount these events. I am curious as to how a deathclaw, immune to all but our heaviest weapons, was defeated by a patrol group with nothing more than laser muskets, light rifles and small blades,"

"Hey, you said you had a grenade launcher!" one of the settlers' children spoke out, causing Elton to gape indignantly at the boy.

"Yes, yes I did-" he retorted. But before he could finish, an almost overpowering smell of blood and decaying flesh drifted over him – and the settlers – causing a few of them to complain loudly about the smell, pulling their clothes up to mask their noses. Even Katherine could smell it, and she held a handkerchief to her nose, coughing in disgust.

"No. You did not. And you have certainly not slain the deathclaw," a cold female voice spoke from behind him, followed by a dull thud of something heavy falling on to dirt. The settlers and minutemen alike gasped and took a step back. Katherine peered over their shoulders, and fell down in shock at what she saw.

A deathclaw's head – an _enormous_ one – had been roughly dropped beside the armoury. A pair of enormous claws, almost as long as a person was tall, had been heaved over it. A familiar black boot kicked the head forward, its horns now digging into the dirt.

"Do not claim a kill that was not yours," Elesis spoke quietly, walking out from beside the armoury. Preston followed closely behind her, tipping his hat towards the General, "You were the first to suggest running, if I remembered correctly. A craven and a coward you are, and one that speaks falsely for fame,"

The knight's gaze was icy and unfeeling. Katherine swore there was an odd amber gleam behind those strange red eyes of hers. One that was not there the day before, when she was talking to the knight. There was also a twisted sense of satisfaction in her small smile on seeing the man's reputation utterly destroyed, as though she revelled in his embarrassment and misery.

"General Delacroix," Elesis addressed the doctor, crossing her arms, "You have said that this...deathclaw...has caused you, your settlers, and your minutemen quite a lot of trouble. It will no longer trouble you. Or any other person, for that matter,"

Shaking herself out of her shocked state, she stood up hastily. "You...mon dieu. I had thought that those rumours were a jest. What in God's name possessed you to do such a thing?" Katherine gasped, "Never mind. A better question would be _how_ did you do such a thing? Sturges had not dispensed any rockets to any minuteman today,"

The knight simply unsheathed her machete and threw it to the ground. The edge was razor-sharp, to be certain; and there was the sticky black residue of reptilian blood, along with flakes of its scales. A large chip was present on its tip, where a chunk of white bone still stuck to the cracked metal.

"Using this," she replied simply, before leaning against the wall of the armoury, "The edge held strong until I needed to remove the deathclaw's hands and head. It seems that its bone is as hard as steel,"

Katherine stood there, her mouth agape. Hunting a deathclaw with explosives had been done before by her men. She had also heard of men in power armour bludgeoning a deathclaw to death with a rocket-powered sledgehammer. But this? Engaging a deathclaw, with only leather armour and light metal plating for protection, in claw's reach, no less? This was nothing less than lunacy!

"While the...elimination...of an adult alpha male deathclaw is a great service, you put yourself at terrible risk," she muttered through gritted teeth, "You could have been maimed, or even killed. Your squad could have been killed,"

Elesis simply tilted her head to one side. "But I lived. The entire squad lived. The deathclaw's dead, and that's exactly what you wanted," she said emotionlessly, "Isn't it?"

"Even so, that is no excuse to be so reckless!" Katherine spoke, her voice growing louder. How did this woman not see that her actions brought needless risk upon herself and her fellow minutemen?

She caught the briefest flash of emotion in the knight's eyes. Whether it was anger or sadness, she could not tell; but Elesis immediately turned on her heel and stalked off, throwing her arms up in frustration. The crowd gave her a wide berth as she departed, staring incredulously at her back all the while.

"General. Maybe that was a little too harsh on her," Preston said, picking up the chipped machete from the ground. But no sooner had he done so, the man dropped it as though the handle itself burned his skin. A thin film of sticky red coated his hands, a reminder of the blood shed in the battle.

"Perhaps," Katherine whispered softly, noticing the blood on Preston's hand, "No matter how brave a person is, or how capable they believe they are, there is no excuse to throw lives away. Especially when I could send reinforcements to deal with the creature in a safer way,"

* * *

Night soon fell on the settlement. The farmers and builders had all returned to their barracks, sleeping soundly in the knowledge that the deathclaw roaming the area was now dead, and its head was impaled on a spike just outside the town's bridge. Without any calls for help from nearby settlements, the Minutemen settled into routine patrols. Even now, a pair of watchmen passed by Katherine's clinic, their boots tapping softly against the concrete pavement.

"Bonsoir, gentlemen. Have you seen Elesis on your patrols?" she called out from inside, opening the clinic's door ever so slightly.

"No, General. I can't say that we've seen anyone other than fellow minutemen on our patrol," one replied, lowering his lantern, "It's been quiet. Awfully quiet, actually. Road patrols between here and Abernathy Farm report nothing except...well,"

"If there is something to be reported, I do believe it is important for me to know, yes?" she said, opening the door a little wider.

The two watchmen looked at each other, before the one with a rifle cleared his throat and spoke, "Well, there's no sighting of a _live_ enemy, at least. Only a gang of raiders outside Concord, but they were already dead, in the most gruesome way possible. Limbs, blood and guts everywhere on the road. None of it appears to be chewed up, so we can rule out wild animals,"

"And...the patrols did not report any gunfire?"

"No, ma'am. That's the strange thing. Raiders are jumpy little bastards that would fire their gun as soon as someone would whisper 'jet' into their ears. There wasn't even a gunshot fired, and the bodies found were still warm. So, whoever did this should still be nearby,"

"Weirder yet," his companion added, "Their guns were still in their hands. In fact, _all_ their gear was still on them. Ammunition, chems, stimpaks. Hell, even their caps were still in their grubby pockets. Whoever did this didn't do it for loot or money. So we're stumped,"

The same could be said of Katherine. She was utterly perplexed. Most of the people that she had met in the wasteland so far had been motivated by either greed, self-interest, or simple carnal pleasures. Only the Minutemen seemed to be working towards improving the condition of all in the Commonwealth, and even they were under strict orders to confiscate any usable materials from raiders and creatures they killed. The manner in which someone – or something – would engage a party of dangerous men and women, slaying all of them undetected, and then leave without taking a single item, seemed to defy all logical reasoning.

The lantern-bearing minuteman then cleared his throat, breaking Katherine out of her thoughts. "In any case, we should return to our rounds. Whoever this person is that's destroying the raiders, we're not going to complain. There's enough things out there wanting to rip our throats out; we're not going to turn down an angel of death that's killing our enemies, whatever or whoever that might be. Good night, General,"

"Very well. Bonsoir, gentlemen. Stay safe,"

Katherine closed the door behind her, still pondering on the words of the watchmen. She shivered a little as the cold night chill worked its way into the clinic; the wasteland was prone to extremes of cold and heat, switching without warning. It was then that she noticed that the window next to her bed was still slightly ajar.

"That will not do, not at all," she muttered, walking to the window to close it. No click came from sliding it down, however, and she peered more closely at the bottom of the window.

There was the corner of a blood-red scarf stuck in it. She reached out to touch it, curious as to how it arrived there. But before her fingers could so much as brush against it, it slid out of reach, followed by the faintest of sneezes. A soft scraping noise she could hear; the sound of metal on stone, rhythmic and methodical.

"Elesis?" she called out. The scraping noise halted abruptly.

"Yes?" the knight replied tersely.

"Where have you been?"

"Doing what you've asked me to do," the knight declared, before sneezing again, "Fighting so that your settlers can have their peace,"

A moment of silence passed as Katherine processed the absurdity of what she had said. The Minutemen did indeed fight for the peace of the land. But that did not mean that they fought night and day, without any regard for their own health. After all, a dead man was one that could not do any more.

"I do not think I understand you," the doctor said, shaking her head, "But that can wait. For now, you must come inside. You will freeze to death out there,"

A soft rustle was the only sign that Elesis had responded. The door soon swung open, and the knight walked in, looking all the worse for wear. Her hair was matted and tangled, and her armour was absolutely drenched in blood and coated in dirt. There was hardly a single inch of black leather visible beneath it.

"Mon dieu. I think that you will need a bath as well," Katherine coughed, gagging. The smell emanating from the knight's soiled gear was almost intolerable, "Just...come in, and follow me,"

The small ward in the back was full of sleeping patients. But in the rear of the ward was a shower in a small cubicle, attached to a water purifier and a makeshift microfusion cell-powered heater. Pulling a heavy cloth screen across the front of the cubicle, she motioned for Elesis to come.

"The water in this shower is warm, and should chase away that horrible chill. Wash up," she ordered, tapping on a nearby rusty trolley. The knight nodded and began to disrobe without a single question, while Katherine switched on the shower and waited for the water to warm up.

It was odd, Katherine thought. All her life, every woman that she had known before the bombs fell preferred to cover themselves up. Unless, of course, they belonged in the disreputable districts of downtown Boston, or New York. Yet those women were soft and pampered, and here was someone whose body was lean and strong. Almost like her late husband after his tour of duty-

"Is...is there something wrong?" Elesis asked. Katherine looked up to find the shorter woman shivering as she removed the last of her undersuit. Her eyes were looking curiously into her own, which had been staring at nowhere in particular. "The water looks warm enough. Can we get this done and over with?"

"Ah...of course. Feel free to soak up some warmth first. I seem to have misplaced the soap," Katherine replied. It was, of course, only an excuse; the purple bars of soap were stacked neatly on a shelf beside the shower cubicle, along with a can of mauve-coloured shampoo. Passing one of the bars and the can to the knight, she sat on a nearby stool, blushing furiously.

"Merde. I should not look at others that way," she whispered angrily to herself, "What would Nate think of me?"

Fortunately, the sound of splashing water drowned out the rest of her words. It was not long before the worn towel draped over the screen's rail disappeared into the cubicle, and the knight emerged, draped in a towel. Katherine smiled; it seemed that the experimental mutfruit-based soap had worked better than she expected. All the dried blood and mud had washed away easily enough; even that which had stuck to her hair.

"I wonder. Why would you have a shower built in a half-ruined town?" Elesis said, sniffing, "Not that I mind. Fruit smells a lot better than blood and guts,"

"It is difficult to keep sanitary conditions when one is covered in grime and dirt. A clean wound is one that will not get infected, after all. And with so few supplies, a stimpak not used is another life that I could preserve,"

The knight stifled a yawn. Katherine, noticing her exhaustion, spoke, "You should sleep. I shall send for a settler to have your armour cleaned. Tomorrow, I shall be travelling to Diamond City. I would have you come with me, if you will,"

"Really," Elesis said, narrowing her eyes in suspicion, "You already don't like the way I handle things, I can tell. I let my sword do the talking, and you would prefer that no blood is spilled at all. Why? Why would you want me to come?"

The doctor smiled sadly in response. That tale would be for another time. Perhaps for the road ahead. "I shall tell you on the way there. For now, I would suggest that you rest,"

* * *

A/N

reality deviant:

For Elesis, who in the original material tends to prefer highly-kinetic manoeuvres and places enormous emphasis on offensive capabilities, power armour would likely be seen with disdain. After all, it's bulky, cumbersome and doesn't really translate itself well to rapid strikes.

Yzrac:

Elesis' insanity in Elsword is mainly due to the full absorption of the dark El's power. Since the crystal is still physically present, she's not fully there yet.

There's also a huge difference in the KR version and the NA version's voice acting. KR gets the fact that she's insane, and is bloodthirsty; NA version has her just...bloodthirsty. The murderous kind. It's rather unclear what her normal behaviour is outside of battles, so I'm simply making a conjecture that out of battle, she still behaves like the DK before 2nd job change. That is, she's just a massive douchebag to everyone in her way. There are, however, a LOT of comics out there that show her as being incredibly slothful after becoming a CrA, so there's also that possibility.

Next up: The journey to Diamond City. With the Minutemen's home front secure in northwestern Boston, the SS can finally begin her long-awaited trip to the unofficial capital of the Commonwealth.


	8. 08 - Exile from Sanctuary

"Just don't make me carry that for you," Elesis sniffed, looking at the pile of bottles, needles and pills that were crammed inside a patched shoulder bag. Another was stuffed full of jars of preserved fruits and dried meats. It was as though the two of them were going on an extended journey; yet from what she had heard of Diamond City, it did not seem too distant.

"You will not need to, mon ami. Not both, at the very least," Katherine grunted, heaving the one full of bottles over her shoulder, "I will carry one, of course,"

"The other minutemen say that Diamond City is not too far. I still don't understand why we would need so many things," grumbled Elesis, as she too heaved her bag onto her shoulders. She raised an eyebrow when she saw Katherine looking at her with marked disapproval. "What?"

"You have not been here long enough to truly understand the wasteland yet," the doctor sighed, "Being unprepared may well cost your life. For one, I would like to stay alive. Especially for what I still have yet to do. Come, let us see what Sturges has come up with. I had heard that the man had been awake all night working on your armour and weapons. It would be rude to keep him waiting,"

Loading a set of syringes into her gun and pulling the gas lever back, she walked out of the clinic, with the knight following closely behind. Settlers gave the two a wide berth; as did the minutemen, who mumbled their salutes as she passed them by. Sturges was sitting in front of the armoury, on top of a rather large crate. The man was barely awake, nodding off into sleep; if it were not for his elbow, he would have fallen face-first onto the concrete footpath.

"Sturges," Katherine spoke, causing the man to jump in shock.

"Ah, y'all up nice and early, I see," Sturges said sarcastically, rubbing his eyes, "It's high noon, in case you haven't noticed,"

"Oh, you poor thing. You have been working for that long?" replied Katherine, wringing her hands, "I shall have to return the favour sometime,"

"Ah, don't worry about it. You guys keep this place safe," laughed the mechanic, waving her off, "And you gave us this place, to boot. Anyway, I got what you asked for. Her bodysuit's been patched up,"

"And the weapon?"

The mechanic rubbed the back of his head, chuckling nervously. "Well, that's the thing. I guess it'd be best if she sees it for herself, yeah?"

Throwing open the lid of the box, Elesis tilted her head at what she saw.

Her sword was barely recognisable. Its black leather-bound hilt was the only part that she could recognise. Its blade, once blood-coloured, had been replaced by the fingers of a gigantic deathclaw's claws, arranged end-to-end. A spike, made out of bone, replaced the simple silver-and-bloodstone pommel that was once there.

"Well, I think it's balanced enough," he commented, "I don't have the equipment to fix that stuff properly. Give it a couple of swings, see what you think. If y'all don't like it, I can still make changes. Deathclaw bone's harder than steel, but for the life of me, I haven't ever had the chance to work with one before,"

Frowning, Elesis picked up the sword from the box. The claymore – if one could even call it that – was certainly heavier than before. It looked more like a club than a sword, the knuckles of the claws forming its jagged edge giving it the impression that it was a long mace. Holding it with one hand, she lifted it up and down, feeling its weight shift around significantly with each movement.

"It's more like a warhammer than a claymore. But I can work with it, I guess," she groused, earning a disapproving glare from Katherine.

"Good to hear that it won't knock your shoulder out of place or something. Now, your armour's down in the bottom of that there box. Patched up the hole with some oiled brahmin leather, but I'm hoping that the deathclaw leather will be done by the time you two are back from Diamond City,"

"That would be...excellent," Katherine added. She looked at her pip-boy, and looked at Elesis. "If we are to reach Diamond City before nightfall, I believe that it would be best if we started walking immediately. Put on that armour, and we will begin our journey,"

* * *

"...I do not recall having seen anyone with eyes of that natural colour before," Katherine said to Elesis, "Such a vivid crimson,"

The dark knight simply shrugged. The journey had been mostly uneventful, though the doctor seemed to insist on asking inane questions for the whole time. Things that she could not care less to remember, and most certainly not while travelling through a dangerous land. The raiders at the vehicle factory that they had passed had fired many shots at them as they passed, forcing them to take a longer path through some shrubland.

"Does it matter?" Elesis replied tersely. Her eyes were gazing over the nearest ruined building, considering the myriad ways in which some unexpected creature or raider might ambush them. They were now back in a ruined urban area, filled with many destroyed shops.

Katherine sighed, shaking her head. "Perhaps. Or, perhaps not. In any event, I am trying to make this journey more pleasant. Smiling more often would benefit you, mon ami,"

"Smiling? In a place like this?" scoffed Elesis. She waved her hand to the barren trees around them; at the deserted, crumbling asphalt roads, at the burned-down buildings. Aside from them, only the occasional overgrown radroach was the only living thing around. "Look around you. Is there even any reason for being happy, in a dead world like this?"

The doctor abruptly stopped in her tracks and turned to face Elesis. "Where there exists life, there exists hope. A hope for a brighter future, no matter how bleak the present seems. And while I can work towards that, I will," she snapped fiercely at her, the fire in her eyes surprising even the normally detached knight, "No matter the cost,"

Silence fell over the pair. The knight was stunned at the doctor's outburst, while the doctor turned away, her face burning a bright vermilion.

"I had thought that was a common aspiration between all humans. The hope to become something better..." Katherine muttered, "But I suppose I am wrong. There seems to be at least one where existence seems to be meaningless to her,"

"Are you talking about...me?" Elesis said, pointing uncertainly to herself.

"Yes. Who else could I possibly be talking about?" replied the doctor, who rolled her eyes, "Every other settler and minuteman under my command has been grateful to be allowed a chance to live a relatively safe life in this hellish wasteland. You are alive, which is more than could be said for countless others. And yet, you seem to ignore the gift that you are given, and that which others have received,"

"I fight when you order me to fight," Elesis growled. Her fists were clenched, and she strode up to the taller woman, standing on her toes to glare into her eyes; so close were they, their noses almost touched, "I bled for your men. I killed on your orders. Isn't that enough?"

"No. It is most certainly not enough!" Katherine shouted. She immediately sat down on a nearby rock, cupping her face with her hands. "Mon ami, it is not enough. If I desired a friend who would never question an order, to follow every instruction to the letter, I would have found all I need in Codsworth,"

To be compared to a machine – not an intelligent high-class nasod like Eve – struck Elesis hard. Her lips curled into a wild snarl as she raised a hand to slap the woman. Yet to her shock, the woman did not move as the blow struck her face, knocking her to the ground. As the knight offered a hand to help her up, Katherine simply sat there, rubbing her swollen cheek.

"If you thought that striking me would somehow turn you into a better person, I think that it is best that we part ways," whispered Katherine sadly, wiping away some blood from a split lip. She set down her backpack and pulled out a handful of stimpak syringes, as well as a strange clear bag containing orange liquid, marked 'Rad-away' with untidily scrawled letters. These she thrust into the knight's outstretched hand.

"I...I'm..." Elesis stuttered, watching the doctor walk away. The words never came; her pride as the black hand of Velder stopped her from expressing her remorse.

Yet the doctor looked back over her shoulder. Her lips opened, and she spoke quietly, "If you should ever realise that you are not alone...that you need others, as others need you...then you may return to Sanctuary, and I shall welcome you back with open arms. Until then, I will continue to seek what I require on my own. Goodbye, Elesis,"

Katherine flicked a few buttons on her wrist-mounted device, and she faded from sight with a faint crackle of static. Only a faint rippling in the air gave her position away, and soon she was too far away for even that to be seen.

Elesis slumped to the ground in disbelief at what she had done. Even the most wretched of dogs in all of Elrios did not bite whoever fed them. And yet, she had slapped a woman who had saved her life, hard enough to draw blood.

"I...what's happened to me?" the knight muttered, looking at her hands. The blood-magic lines drawn across on her right gauntlet's black surface had grown far brighter than when she first took up the dark arts. Even looking at it was enough to fill her mind with chaotic images of battles, of slaughter and of bloody combat.

The dark El shard on her breast glowed an intense purple. It was pulsing with power; and if she listened faintly, she swore she could hear it _laughing_ at her predicament. Whatever dark power had created it was mocking her for her failures. Growling, she unclasped the steel chain around her neck. The crystal pendant was now in the palm of her hand, waiting to be crushed. Or thrown away. Or perhaps...remain with her.

"Damn it all!" she roared, raising her hand as to smash the crystal upon her claymore's blade. Yet her hand stayed itself, unable to bring it down. Again and again she tried; and yet, her hand came no closer to smashing the crystal.

The power the dark arts brought to her was immense. Blood magic allowed her to defeat opponents that she never imagined she could defeat. The crystal on that chain magnified that power many times over. Her thoughts were overwhelmed by the images of numerous battles, projected by the crystal directly into her mind. Hordes of demons, lying bloodied and broken at her feet. Bandits at the pillories, awaiting her blade to descend upon their necks.

Images of victory. Of power she was promised. Of power she could not resist.

Resignedly, she slowly clasped the steel chain back together again, and slipped it over her neck. She knew not where she would travel now, in a foreign, dead world. But perhaps, more so than ever, she needed that power.

The power to bring victory, no matter the cost.

* * *

"Damn it! I'm hit!" a red-suited man shouted. A humanoid creature clung to his arm, biting upon it with all its strength; only when he brought his laser pistol down upon its skull did it release him, hissing all the while.

A brilliant red beam lanced through its head a fraction of a second later, silencing it. "Knight Rhys, status?" demanded a gruff voice.

"Ghoul down. I'm still combat effective, Paladin!" he growled back, raising his laser pistol. Two shots fired in quick succession, vaporising the kneecaps of another onrushing ghoul. The creature crawled forward on its arms, before a third shot to its temple ended it for good.

A horde of feral ghouls, howling and shrieking at the top of their lungs, charged toward the two. Several were instantly reduced to ash by the paladin's laser rifle, while a number of others swarmed him, clinging on to the armour plates and biting on them.

"Danse!" Rhys yelled, firing his pistol at the ghouls on him until it whined for lack of power. Most of the ghouls had been killed. Only one more remained, gripped in his left hand; that too was soon dead, slammed into a brick wall with all the force of the powered armour behind it.

"There's too many of them. Retreat to Command Post Gladius, before we get swarmed," barked out the paladin, shaking his shoulder. The armoured pauldron rattled; one of the ghouls must have been able to loosen it somewhat, "Scribe Haylen will patch up your injuries there, and set up a distress beacon. Now move it!"

"Copy that. Moving," Rhys grunted.

Danse sighed as he reloaded his rifle. They had only been out for twenty minutes at most, and the feral ghouls of Cambridge had already found them. Supplies were low, morale was low, and their mission was getting nowhere. Without reinforcements, he doubted that he could hold out in the godforsaken wasteland that was the Commonwealth, much less complete his reconnaissance mission. Four of his fellows had already gone missing in action on their scouting trip to the east; and if he was not careful, surely the rest of his team would follow suit.

Sprinting back towards the police station, he noted the screams of the feral ghouls coming closer and closer. Rhys was already ahead of him, back in the safety of its walls; both Rhys and Haylen were firing their laser pistols as fast as they could at an oncoming green-and-grey horde. The distress beacon he could see on top of a crate outside, its light pulsing periodically.

He dearly hoped that reinforcements would come soon.

* * *

The wasteland, true to its name, proved to be rather hostile – in every sense of the word. Ever since Elesis strayed from the roads, every building seemed to contain something that wanted to kill her. Whether it was a strange, monstrous animal, or a trapped doorway, or some poisonous food, danger was always around the corner. Even now, the weather had switched from being freezing cold to blazing hot, accompanied by a strange green cloud which seemed to rain metallic-tasting water.

"Disgusting," Elesis muttered, shaking the greasy rainwater out of her hair. A fallen signpost nearby marked the place as 'Cambridge'. Not that she knew where it was, for she had not even asked for a map of this world. With darkness settling in over the land, she wondered where she could find a safe place to sleep or rest.

It was then that she heard a series of loud hissing blasts in the distance. Almost like the impacts of those electron beams that Eve was so fond of.

"Laser fire? Here?" she wondered. Dozens more echoed through the streets, along with the most unsettling shrieks and howls.

Gripping her claymore, she dashed towards the source of the sound. There were strangely-glowing ash piles scattered all over the road, as though something large had been incinerated without a trace. Something...human sized. A deafening explosion rocked the streets as a large truck went up in a brilliant ball of flame around the corner. Several bodies were hurled away from the explosion, striking the wall on the opposite side with a wet squelch.

The sight of the body, however, caused her to growl with hatred. There, slumped on the ground, was the bloodied remains of what seemed to be a zombie human. It was impossible to mistake for anything else; the rotting skin, the putrifying flesh. Even the terrible smell. The Glitters had made liberal use of undead in their invasion, making use of the corpses of the fallen to dishearten soldiers and villagers alike.

Elesis snarled, "No more. Nobody else needs to fight their own dead,"

Sprinting around the corner, she was greeted with a peculiar sight. Large concrete barriers, each painted with a strange symbol – a winged sword, over several small gears – had been erected around a walled compound. A hulking golem of some sort was standing guard in the only gateway into the compound, firing a powerful laser rifle at an endless tide of undead. Two other people inside the compound were aiding him, firing smaller laser pistols at those that tried to climb over the compound's walls.

"You there, if you want to help, don't just stand there!" the golem spoke, in a strangely human fashion. Nodding, Elesis charged, her claymore raised to smash down the nearest zombie.

The battle was a bloodbath. The strange people with energy weapons were well entrenched, the zombies unable to climb the compound's walls without great difficulty. Instead, they charged at the only opening that they could see; the front gate, where the iron golem and Elesis were waiting. Wave after wave fell to their weapons, their numbers insufficient to swarm the well-defended post, until the ground ran slick with coppery blood and flecks of ash.

"Hold fire. They are retreating," the golem spoke, raising his hand. The two troopers behind him immediately stopped firing, with the man immediately collapsing to the floor, clutching his trembling right arm.

"Scribe Haylen, attend to Knight Rhys' injuries, now. We cannot afford to have another casualty in this wasteland," it continued, somewhat brusquely.

The female trooper saluted and replied, "Copy that, Paladin Danse. Come on, you big baby. Quit your whining and take the stimpak,"

Elesis tilted her head questioningly. A woman taking orders from a golem? Or...perhaps it was not a golem. The shape was humanoid enough, and definitely large enough to hold a person. Those panzer demons that attacked Velder were strong and large enough to wear that much armour, but a human? It was unthinkable! Her questions were put to rest when the golem put its hands to its head, and removed it with a hiss of steam.

It was not the golem's head. It was a helmet; of a very large - and very thick - suit of armour! Under the helmet was the face of a stern, middle-aged man. A faint network of small scars covered his rugged face, which seemed permanently frozen in a stony expression. He had a presence of great authority, as befitted someone who appeared to be a veteran of many battles.

"I am Paladin Danse, of the Brotherhood of Steel," he declared, "You are in a restricted military area, civilian. Ordinarily, I would demand that you stay well away, but seeing as you have just helped us with our ghoul problem, I am inclined to cut you some slack. State your business,"

"I was merely passing by," replied Elesis. Her eyes glanced hatefully at the remains of the zombies outside. "Upon seeing these foul undead, I decided to assist,"

"Undead? Well, I suppose these irradiated ghouls do appear similar to a comic book zombie. They are – or were – most certainly alive. Still, your assistance in ridding the world of these foul abominations is appreciated," Paladin Danse replied, nodding approvingly at her.

A loud screech interrupted their conversation, however. The woman of their group – Scribe Haylen, if Elesis remembered correctly – had tweaked the buttons of some kind of radio receiver on a table beside the compound's doors. The device was now spitting sparks, and emitting a feeble beeping noise.

"Paladin Danse. I can't get this transponder working. Not with so many parts broken," she hissed, through gritted teeth, "Without it, we can't radio for immediate reinforcements. There's too much interference around here. We need something with more power to reach the Capital Wasteland,"

"Well, we will have to defend this post until help arrives then. Scribe Haylen, you did say that there was a long-range transmitter in the region that has not been recovered, correct?"

The woman nodded. "Affirmative, sir. Arcjet Systems, due west of here. Pre-war military records indicate that an experimental space communications device was being developed. If a prototype still exists, that should have enough power to transmit back to the Capital Wasteland, even with all this interference,"

Danse then looked at the wounded trooper beside the scribe, and then at Elesis. His eyes narrowed, as though he were assessing something. "Knight Rhys. I am certain that you are at least still capable of using a laser pistol, if not a rifle. Can you hold this position, with Scribe Haylen?"

Rhys grunted in response, lifting up a boxy-looking pistol with only the slightest of trembles with his injured arm, while Haylen glared at him and jabbed another stimpak into his shoulder. Nodding in satisfaction, Paladin Danse then looked at Elesis.

"Civilian. I do not believe I know your name yet," he spoke.

For a brief moment, Elesis considered stating her allegiance to the Minutemen. However, she shook her head. The memories of what had occurred between herself and Katherine was still fresh, and she had been all but exiled from the group of militiamen. "I am Elesis Sieghart, Captain of the Red Knights of Velder," she declared, deciding to use her true title.

"I cannot say that I know where this Velder is. But if you say that you are a captain, then I am at least speaking to someone who has at least some combat training," the paladin replied, "I request your assistance once more, Captain Sieghart. My squad has been decimated by months of attrition, and I must retrieve an item that is necessary for our mission's success. I will need another to cover my back on this sortie,"

"Why not have...Knight Rhys do that?" Elesis asked, crossing her arms.

"Scribe Haylen is not trained for active combat duty, and leaving her alone in this compound is far too high a risk. Taking both Scribe Haylen and Knight Rhys is not an option, as this location is vital to our operations and cannot be left unattended. As such, it falls to me to perform any duties outside of this command post,"

The knight looked Paladin Danse in the eyes. The man did not waste his breath with meaningless platitudes, unlike the General of the Minutemen. That, alone, was sufficient to earn a little of her respect. The manner in which he fought against a seemingly endless tide of enemies with unflinching resolve was admirable.

"I know what it is like to be assigned a post to which one is never expected to return," Elesis spoke quietly, thinking of her last days in Feita, organising a last stand against the demonic hordes, "If I said that I would not help you in your time of need, then I would be disgracing my order of knights. Lead on,"

"Excellent. Ad victoriam!"

* * *

A/N

I'm still here, writing things slowly. Updates will be sporadic, as it always has been; real life chews up a LOT of time.


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